Metahuman: Stranger Days
by Cat le Fleur
Summary: Power is everything, and nobody knows this better than metahumans; people who can do the impossible. Four metahumans are thrown into a place they don't belong without a way to return home, and a fifth lurks in the shadows. Power can break them, and that's just what some cats want... (cover by Sunnyluv)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: "I like the colour blue" = English**

 **"(I like the colour blue)" = any other language i.e. French, Russian**

 **Just putting this here for future reference.**

* * *

 **London, United Kingdom**

Evan stared at the massive factory looming over him.

The thing was an old munitions factory used during the Second World War, located on the outskirts of London. It was run down, whether that was from bombs dropped on it or age was beyond him. He could see that a part of the roof had caved in, and that the whole bloody building stood slightly crooked. It didn't look terribly safe, but he needed somewhere to sleep and out of the rain.

The Brit walked along the gravel path leading to the main entrance, listening to the familiar sound of rain and wind. Honestly, with how much it rain you would think it would be the UKs national anthem.

Once inside, Evan paced through the desolate halls of the factory until he entered a massive room, filled with conveyor belts, wooded crates, old tank shells and the like. _Must be where they produced everything,_ he mused.

Sitting on an old wooden crate, he removed his soaked, red hoodie, revealing the white shirt underneath, and fixed his damp blonde hair. It was a bit daft of him to pick it for leaving home, but it was the first thing he picked up.

Now, Evan didn't 'run away' because his parents were abusive. God no, his mum and dad were good people, if a little miserable at times. He wasn't bullied at school, nobody was ripping the piss out of him. Frankly, he had no issues aside from a few arguments here and there with his girlfriend, Kelly.

But in his fifteen years of living, he's never had trouble like _this._ He had a... condition, and he just needed time to himself to understand it. Evan had no idea what it was or how to explain it without sounding dumb. The only person how knew was Kelly. The Brit grimaced as he recalled how that conversation went.

"What do you mean 'you can't explain it'?" Kelly demanded, her brown eyes glaring into his blue ones.

"I mean I can't because I'll sound absolutely mental," Evan replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Evan, you're going to tell me what's up or I'm going to-"

"-smash me?" He finished for her, "you need to _not_ hit like a kitten for that to work," Evan scoffed.

"Just tell me, will you?" She asked, nearly shouting. Fed up with her boyfriend's awkward answers.

"I honestly don't know what up with me," he replied, moving forward to embrace Kelly. She returned the hug, "but I need time to find out," his voice wavered a bit, the whole situation making him stressed.

"Alright," Kelly muttered, "just, come back safe." she continued, hugging him a little tighter, "Promise?"

"Promise." He replied.

Evan sighed. Christ, this was causing more trouble that what it was worth. Hopefully, he would make sense of it soon and-

"You're Evan Brown, correct?" A foreign voice sounded, cold and full of authority.

Evan froze up, had he stumbled into some junkie's territory? No, that wasn't right. The voice held an American accent. That, and it didn't hold that ' absolutely hammered' quality junkies normally had.

And how did he know his name? Was he being stalked by some creepy bastard?

The teen decided to play along, he swallowed the lump in his throat, "yes, can I help you?" he replied as he turned to face the voice.

The owner of the voice was a tall, well built man, with short black hair and a beard, his green eyes were filled with solemnity. He wore simple clothing: a white shirt, a pair of jeans, black boots, and an olive green jacket. He looked like someone you would pass by on the street.

The mysterious man said nothing, but instead walked closer to Evan, a serious expression on his face.

The teen's face paled as he noticed that the man's right hand had been replaced with a long, slender, shadowy blade.

The Brit's mind raced. If he didn't do something, he would be killed. He doubted running would do anything, the stalker could probably stretch that sword-thing of his. The only option was self defence. This bastard was just like him; dangerous.

His condition kicked in and as he balled his fists, they burst into flames. He swung wildly, hoping to land a lucky hit but his assailant dodged everything Evan did. The attacker grabbed his left arm, twisted it, and slammed down hard on the elbow with his palm, breaking the arm.

Evan cried out in pain and stumbled backwards, his back crashing into a conveyor belt. He looked around wildly for something to defend himself with, and spotted an old wooden leg of a table or a chair.

The teen grabbed it with his still ignited right hand. It began to burn almost spontaneously. He swung the object yet it hardly moved, Evan looked up and paled as he saw that several slender, shadow-like limbs had wrapped around it.

The young man looked back to his assailant and show that the phantom limbs were coming from his shadow, snaking across the ground. His attention was brought back to his arm, the black limbs were forcing his arm against his back in the same manner police would to apprehend a criminal.

Evan's arm was forced at an unnatural angle, leaving him in agony, before he felt his shoulder dislocate from his socket. "Ah, fucking Christ!" He growled through gritted teeth, before his legs were swept from underneath him, leaving the young Brit writhing on the cold, concrete floor.

The assailant loomed over him, his arm shaped into the slender blade it had been before. As the man raised the blade above his head, Evan screwed his eyes shut, his thoughts lying with the people he loved before the world went black.

Isaac pulled the phantom blade from the now deceased teen's body, the sword apparition dissipated as he did so. Truthfully, he wasn't too keen on killing a minor, but he thought about it as eliminating a target. It eased his mind somewhat.

His client had been very thorough on why he wanted this kid dead. Although, surely there were people more qualified for what he wanted. But he didn't really care, as long as his end of the deal was seen through.

But, that would come later. He had other targets to go after.

 **Paris, France**

Lautrec looked out over Paris, the sunset making the already beautiful city look like painting you would see in an art gallery from his view on the Eiffel Tower. He had the whole platform to himself, mostly because nobody was permitted to be this high up.

He breathed in deeply, enjoying the fresh air. Something he appreciated more and more since his family moved Compiègne to the capital city when he was twelve.

The thought made him feel old, he was off to college next week after searching for a good one during his final year of high school. He found one though, after a year of looking.

 _I'll probably be one of the oldest,_ the Frenchman thought to himself, being nineteen instead of the common age of eighteen. But, they're would definitely be people older than him by a stretch.

He checked his phone for the time. It read 19:45, and after messing about on his phone for ten minutes, the young man decided to head home. He fixed the gray beanie that concealed his brown medium-length hair, plugged his earphones in, took a few steps back, and vaulted over the railing.

Too most, he just signed his death warrant. But, Lautrec was special, not in a "mentality slow" way. He could do things no one else could, like turn into living smoke. The young adult felt the familiar feeling of becoming light as a feather, followed by the scent of fire filling his nostrils and a feeling of warmth.

Soon, he was walking on the ground, away from the Eiffel Tower. Safe and Sound. Lautrec first found out about it when he was thirteen, it was pretty handy for making quick getaways, getting around faster, or taking a packet of crisps during the night. But, if he did it too often or over long distances it would exhaust him like he just ran three laps around Paris.

The young man walked along the pavement, the sounds of the bustling city drowning out his music. He soon came across an alleyway, it was sketchy looking, but he always taken it as a shortcut to get home to his family's apartment as it shortens a normally 45 minute walk to half an hour. He could 'teleport' there if he wanted too, but he liked walking from time to time.

"Lautrec Rousseau?" An American accented voice sounded behind him.

Lautrec froze, how the hell did that guy know his name. It would make sense if it was someone French, but they were speaking English, a language he understood, but he couldn't say a word of, thanks to his bilingual mother and that he learned how to speak it, but never used it. That, and he cringed as his surname got horribly mispronounced.

He turned to the voice and saw a man, well built, tall, black hair and beard. The Frenchman was intimidated slightly, the American could probably break him in two.

"(How exactly do you know my name? You been stalking me or something?)" Lautrec questioned wearily. Despite knowing there was a slim chance this guy could speak French, he had to ask. Mostly to report it the police.

The man didn't answer, he just walked forward. Lautrec got ready to run, but he couldn't move. He looked down and saw his legs were enveloped in pitch black tendrils, coming from the stranger's shadow. His heart skipped a beat, he looked up and see the stranger's arm had morphed into a large, shadowy sword.

Lautrec went into fight or flight mode, operating on the first thought that came to his mind. And it was to warp to his would-be murderer, punch him square in the face, and warp back home and phone the police.

The Frenchman warped, a cloud of smoke and embers rushing towards his target. But the assailant was ready, the moment he materialised in front of him, the stranger sidestepped his punch.

He was caught in a headlock. Lautrec struggled and flailed, hoping to loosen his attacker's grip and break free. A hand was placed on the underside of his jaw, and then yanked, breaking his neck like it was made of brittle twigs. The corpse of Lautrec fell without a sound.

Isaac watched the corpse intently, watching for any movement in the case he was still alive. Satisfied that another target had been taken care of, he walked off as if nothing had happened.

One more target.

 **Archangel, Russia**

"(Ivan, do you have to leave so soon?)" His mother asked, the ice in her drink clinking against the glass.

"(Yes, mama, I have to wake up early tomorrow,)" Ivan replied as he put his coat on and fixing it so that sat comfortably.

"(Where are off to this time?)" she inquired.

"(The coast of China,)" he smiled.

He would love to spend more time with his mother and father, seeing as this was the last time he would see them in months. While he made both sincerely enjoyed and made good money working as an engineer on oil rigs, he felt awful leaving his parents, babushka, and the rest of his family for months on end.

"(I'm going to miss you, my little boy,)" his mother said as she hugged him tightly.

His mother, Anna, the woman who had raised him for twenty five years, was a petite forty seven year old woman, with blonde medium length hair and blue eyes. Ivan towered over her, he always had seeing as he took his height after his father, Sergei, who was standing in the hallway waiting for his wife to finish embracing their son.

Sergei was tall fifty year old man, taller than his son by a few inches. His graying dark brown hair was accompanied by a thick beard. Frankly, Ivan just looked like a younger copy of him. The only difference being he had a stubble instead of a beard, and his mother's eyes.

"(Goodbye, son.)" Sergei gruffly said, never being one for emotional farewells.

After bidding his parents goodbye, the Russian set off for home. The streets of Archangel were silent, maybe because it it was one in the morning or maybe because he lived by the coast, were there was no reason to be out this late.

Ivan soon found himself walking along a path by the coast, only wooden railings separating him from the cold sea below. The full moon shined on the waves, giving the affect of light dancing on the water.

He supposed he should enjoy it while he could, but he really needed sleep. The Russian didn't need to sleep in, that was just asking to get fired.

Ivan heard footsteps behind him, assuming it was some drunk or someone just out for a walk or head home like himself, so he ignored it.

"Are you Ivan Morozov?" A foreign male voice asked. he carried an American accent and spoke English, so he must be a tourist. But that didn't explain why he knew his name.

He put that aside for now, maybe the stranger had heard his parents use his name. "Yes, are you looking for your hotel?" Ivan responded in English, while his accent was thick it was still understandable.

The man was tall, yet still shorter than Ivan. He had black hair and a beard and eyes filled with seriousness.

The tourist didn't respond, but instead reeled his arm back as shadows enveloped it and twisted it into a blade and thrusted it towards his latest victim.

Ivan quickly stepped back and swung his arm, but he wasn't aiming to land a blow. Icicles rose out of the ground like a swarm of bullets, aimed for the attacker. But the attack was countered as the sword-shaped shadow destroyed most of the frozen spikes, yet two grazed his sides. The assailant grunted, both in pain and shock.

The Russian was a metahuman, someone who had abilities to do things that defied logic. He had these powers for years and has had a lot of time to practice and hone them. He knew he might die here, but he would go down fighting.

Black tendrils rose from the strangers shadow and darted towards Ivan but ice rose from the ground on his command and acted as a shield, but it shattered as the tendrils impaled themselves into his skin.

Ivan hissed through gritted teeth as he was then dragged forward and thrown like a child's toy onto the road. He stumbled to his feet, only for one of the shadowy limbs to impale him through the chest.

"(Fucking bastard.)" The Russian groaned as he collapsed to the cold ground.

Isaac beathed heavily and shakily, that was close. If those hadn't grazed him, he could have lost both his kidneys. He cringed that thought of the agonising pain that would force him through. Even still, the wounds he received needed to be dealt with soon.

But then remembered. Ivan Morozov was his last target. He didn't _need_ to patch himself up. But, there was one lose end to tie up.

Himself.

Isaac watched as a part of his shadow morph and twisted into a slender, black blade aimed directly at his heart. He remained unsure if he had been pursuing a delusion, or if he had imagined his client and he had just traveled Europe and just murdered three random people, but the reward was too much too pass up and his names of his targets had been correct.

Surely he wasn't imagining this.

As he readied to plunged the blade into his chest, his client appeared on the wooden railing. A ghostly, large brown tabby cat decorated with scars, amber eyes like headlights. The cat hissed and spat at him, almost like he was telling to stop.

Isaac adorned his cold and professional demeanour once again, "Another?" He asked simply. The phantom nodded. He dug into his pockets and pulled out a small and worn map of the world and presented it to the client, "show me." Isaac ordered.

The tabby placed a paw on the United States of America, specifically on the state of Michigan. He followed the cat's eyes and noticed it's gaze fell on the southeast end of the state, where a infamous city was located.

"And the target's name?" Isaac questioned.

The ghastly cat began to dissipate as the name "David Falkirk" fell on the murderer's ears. He had a job to do.

 **Detroit, Michigan, USA**

David tumbled to the ground, grunting as he landed on the hard concrete. He growled as he wiped the blood from his nose. He had been agitated before, but now he was pissed.

Both his assailants laughed mockingly. David had just been walking out the store, and two clowns, one built like a twig and the other ripped, had yelled insults at him, so he returned the favour. And before you know it, they're all fighting in some alley that reeked of garbage and piss.

"You're shoulda kept your mouth shut," the scrawny one taunted, pulling a knife from his pocket. David knew his type; they would wait until you were black and blue before they put their foot in your gut. Coward.

"Yeah?" He grunted as he got to his feet, electricity arced over his arms as energy pulsed through him, "You shoulda watched who you were messin' with," he hissed. The pair thugs froze for a second, fear quickly took over them as well familiarity.

David was a metahuman. The only reason he or anyone in Detroit even knew the proper term is because a gang leader had been one, and boy was Detroit a fun place to be during that crap.

David took his chance and fired electricity at the their feet, a warning shot. They jumped back as the bolt ripped through the air, leaving the air crackling and the ground it struck smouldering.

"Aw, shit! He's one of them freaks!" The other one cried as they both darted out of the alley.

David leaned against a dumpster, regaining his breath and trying to calm down. He took of his brown jacket off, revealing his blue hoodie underneath, and checked it, seeing if it was in good condition and saw that it was. The jacket was scruffy looking, and was a little big on him, but it meant a lot to the American.

It had been a hand-me-down from his older brother, Allen, before he moved to Lansing. His older bother was smart, really good at physics and maths, stuff David struggled with at a basic level. But that never bothered him; he never cared about school and his dyslexia played a factor in how difficult he found subjects like math and english; the important ones.

Anyway, Allen graduated and used saved up money from work and his inheritance money from their father and grandparents, and got the hell out of Detroit and was studying in college right now.

He wasn't surprised his sibling left the city they grew up in. They lived in one of the poorer parts of Detroit and it was a shithole growing up. They had fights every week with other kids, a few run-ins with police, and even had a gun pointed at them once by some drug addict.

That brings them full circle now, as he was leaving this crappy city. He'd get to Lansing, meet Allen, and live a better life. His mother had been very much against it, claiming "he was only seventeen and way too young to move out" and eventually their argument derailed into a shouting match, which ended with him storming out the house, cursing like a sailor all the while.

"David Falkirk, right?" The teen heard a gruff voice question behind him. He turned a met some built guy with a black hair and beard.

"Yeah, and what's it to you?" David replied, he wasn't surprised that he knew him. He had a bit of a reputation. The stranger didn't reply, instead his arm twisted into a black sword.

"So that's it, huh?" David asked, firing a bolt of electricity at the stranger. It hit square in the chest, causing him to grunt and stumble. The teen let loose a second bolt, but the stranger's shadow formed a shield on his free arm, and absorbed the blast. Yet, the electricity seemed to dissolve the part of the shield it struck.

David continued to send barrages of electricity, blue arcs of energy snaked over his arms. The air surrounding them crackled with power, every bolt that missed caused the improvised target to smoulder, melt, or conduct the very force that struck it.

Isaac attempted to evade the spears of energy, but it wasn't easy dodging something that traveled at the speed of light. He was struck countless times, his muscles spasmed as pain coursed through him as burns littered his skin. He decide enough was enough, and charged for the living battery.

David went to release another of the bolts, but was impaled by the shadow-like blade through the abdomen. He gasped in pain and surprise as he was hoisted into the air. Even in his pained state, he glared daggers at his murderer.

"I swear, if I see you again I'll kill you," David promised in his delirious state.

"Big words from a dead man." Isaac commented dryly, almost as if to mock the dying teen.

Suddenly, the target's hand pulsed with energy as he placed the on the instrument he was impaled on. The murderer's body tensed as electricity and pain raked his body, he cried through gritted teeth. Then, heat washed over him as he was flung back.

Isaac writhed weakly in agony, burns scorched his body, electricity forced his muscles to spasm, and a burnt stub was in place of his right arm. Blackness appeared in the corners of his vision and quickly began to expand. Before everything went black, he saw amber eyes stare into his soul and he heard purring fill his ears.


	2. Chapter 2

David regained consciousness, yet he didn't open his eyes. He felt strange, like he was having an out of body experience and it nauseating, reminiscent of a hangover. The metahuman wanted the feeling to stop, anymore of it and he'd be puking.

Then the feeling ceased to exist, and his senses returned to him. David felt a breeze roll by, the cool air felt nice on his skin, and grass felt like miniature swords poking-

Hold the phone. _Grass?_ That wasn't right, he lived in a (poor as shit) city; no real grass was there. So where the fuck was he?

His eyes shot open and were greeted by redwood-sized oak trees. Bushes the size of him were everywhere. Was he having a real bad trip or did he just wake up in Oz? Then everything came back to him; the fight; the shadow guy; his own death.

Instinctively, he felt at his abdomen. For some reason, it was harder than it should have been, like it arms weren't made for that kind of movement. He finally got there in the end and found his abdomen was fine. That raised alarms, there should be either A: a sick fucking scar, or B: a big ol' bloody hole.

Oh, and that his stomach was _covered in fucking fur_.

The American instantly stared down at his body and saw he was covered in brown, striped fur and a white underbelly. He was a cat. David scrambled to his feet, repeatedly muttering "what the fuck" over and over like a broken record on steroids.

His mind went into overdrive. He was murdered, some Buddha mumbo-jumbo shit happened, and now he's a cat. The metahuman backed up, beginning to go into shock. He tripped over something and landed with a dull thud.

That something was another cat. They were smaller than him and covered in sun gold fur, and were completely out cold. David prodded at them, "hey, dude, wake up," he spoke. Not really bothered that he could speak; it happens in movies all the time.

No response.

The tabby tried again, "c'mon, wake up" he said firmly. Again, no response. Irritation passed through him briefly. He huffed, what the hell was he supposed to do? He couldn't go home. Hell, was he even _in_ Michigan, let alone America?

David soon remembered who had done this to him, and he felt a burning rage boil inside him. _That asshole's going to pay_ the tabby promised bitterly. He felt claws slide out of his paws.

He stormed off, not caring where he'd end up, eventually coming across a road. Despite making him feel like a little kid, he looked left and right. Compared to a car, he was tiny and last thing he needed was to end up with his guts smeared over the tarmac.

He crossed and came into marshland. A peculiar scent washed over him. The American didn't know how to describe it, it was kinda like damp moss and gasoline. David continued walking, his paws began aching and his stomach growled.

He heard voices, holding British accents, confirming he was no longer in the US of A. The tabby followed the voices, _finally! now we're gettin' somewhere!_ he cheered mentally. He eventually came across three cats conversating with one another and walking.

The first one was a dark ginger cat, with broad shoulders and green eyes. Nothing special there. Probably a guy, or a really manly chick.

The second cat was a dark grey cat, similar in shape, size, and build with yellow eyes. Probably a guy too.

The third one was was a small n' slender cat, with a funky looking pelt and green eyes. This one was probably a girl-cat.

"Hey!" The American called out as he padded over, "can you guys tell me where I am?" he yelled.

The three cats turned and immediately became hostile, "You're on ShadowClan territory, rouge, leave before we make you!" the ginger one threatened.

"I just wanted to know where I was, asshole!" The brown tabby retorted, "how about you all go fuck yourselves!" he added as he turned to leave, muttering curses. That wasn't his brightest idea.

Almost immediately, he felt a weight force itself onto him. It was the ginger cat from before. They both tumbled in the marshland, yelling curses and clawing at each other like wild animals.

David wondered if the other two cats had been trying to get gingie over here off him, or had been trying to jump in. He would never know because he lashed out wildly anytime they got within claw range.

The ginger guy eventually bested him (he just got lucky) and the three cats had chatted amongst each other, deciding what to do with him.

"We should just chase him out," The ginger cat, who he now knew was Rowanclaw, hissed. "He's just some rouge looking to start trouble,"

"You started this, shithead," The tabby interjected.

"Shut it," he growled.

"I say we take him to Blackstar. See what he thinks we should do." The gray one, Cedarheart, mewed. They agreed that the option was the best for them all.

The journey to the camp felt like years. David and Rowanclaw hurled insults and curses at each other, almost getting into another fight. Eventually, they were seperated but it didn't stop them both glaring daggers into each other.

The camp was surrounded by a wall of brambles. On the other side was a dim hollow, with dens covered by thorn bushes. The tabby was impressed, it reminded him of Native American tribes.

A few cats glanced in his direction, curiosity in their eyes, before they turned back to whatever they were doing previously. They approached two cats; a huge white cat and an other ginger one. They both turned to face the small group approaching, slight distain in their eyes for David.

"Cedarheart, do you mind telling me why there's a rouge in my camp?" The white one demanded gruffly.

"He was trespassing on our territory, Blackstar, and picked a fight with-"

"Hold on, your buddy over here," David flicked his tail in Rowanclaw's direction, "was startin' the whole thing," he explained, trying his best to at least not appear aggressive.

"Rowanclaw?" Blackstar mewed, waiting for his warrior's response.

"I told him to get off our territory or I'd make him, and he started yelling about me being an "asshole", whatever that is," The ginger cat deadpanned.

"Wanna know what an asshole is? It's you." The rouge hissed, only to get cuffed over the ear by the warrior, which he happily returned the favour. They spat at each other, ready to pounce.

"Enough!" The ShadowClan leader yowled.

The pair froze, then growled at one another before turning away.

"Rowanclaw, go do something productive, and someone take the rouge to Littlecloud."

David was then lead to the 'Medicine Den' as they called it, and the stench of herbs was so strong it gave him a migraine. This was just great. Time seemed to slow to a crawl in the medicine den, it bugged him more than it should have.

To pass the time, he asked the good doctor questions about ShadowClan while he patched him up. He learned that there were three other clans: ThunderClan (the territory he woke up on), RiverClan, and WindClan.

All four were going through some rough times right now. Prey was scare, so they were starving. Despite his first impressions, he would like to join, mostly because he had nothing better to do. But there was a slim chance of that happening with everything going on.

Eventually, after pestering the doc for what felt like ages, Blackstar padded into the den. He approached the rouge, "Tawnypelt filled me in on your little fight with Rowanclaw," the tom stated, "you're skilled, for a rouge," he commented.

"Yeah? Just keep your pal on a leash," David huffed in response.

"Maybe you shouldn't go starting fights," Blackstar retorted.

The metahuman only rolled his eyes in response, "What do you want?" he asked.

"Do you want to become part of ShadowClan?" The leader inquired, "you seem to be capable fighter, with a little training, we could make you a fierce warrior,"

"Yeah, sure" He replied nonchalantly, "ain't got anything better to do,"

"Good," Blackstar replied, a small purr in his voice, "then you'll have your apprentice ceremony and receive your name," he elaborated.

"Are you my fuckin' mom or something?" David yowled, "Ain't changing my-"

"Do you want to become a warrior?" The white tom interrupted.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Then you'll receive a warrior's name." Blackstar glowered.

David just sighed, he'd make sure people called him by his birth name though. Then he realised something. "What the hell am I supposed to eat if you guys are starving?" The American asked.

"You'll hunt for your own food," Blackstar replied.

"...how do I hunt?"

Blackstar groaned in irritation and Littlecloud laughed hartily. This rouge was already a piece of work.

...

Webfoot was really having a strange day.

It started off normal, he was starving as usual, he went out for a normal morning hunt, only to find a a skinny gray tom who spoke nothing but gibberish.

"(seriously, tell me where you're taking me,)" Lautrec begged, padding just behind the gray tabby tom.

"What in Starclan's name are you saying?" He asked, confused out of his mind and irritated from this crazy rouge and being famished.

"(Asking you where we're going!)" The Frenchman - or was it Frenchcat? - replied, raising his voice as it squeaked a bit.

"Look, I don't know what you said, but I'm taking you to my leader, and we're going to see what we can do with you," Webfoot explained slowly, hoping at least for the rouge to know what he meant.

"(oh, thank you,)" Lautrec mewed, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.

"Mercy?" The WindClan warrior repeated, "relax, Tallstar won't hurt you," he reassured. At least he could make _some_ sense of what was being said.

"(That's not what I said.)" The gray tom stated, grumbling.

Webfoot just sighed. It was going to be one of those days. The tabby just walked on, hearing the paw steps of the strange, gibberish-speaking cat behind him.

Lautrec was left to his own thoughts, he had died and had woken up as a cat, he flipped out and was soon found by a cat with a British accent, and now he's being taken to someone called Tallstar.

He had been in alien situations before, moving to Paris and having to build relationships brick by brick during his first year in high school had been times he felt alone in a crowd. But this was just ridiculous.

Soon, Lautrec was then introduced to the Windclan camp. It was down a natural slope, forming a basin, he could see cats socialising, eating, and generally doing normal human things. It was weird yet impressive to look at, being used to humans being the only ones capable of such feats.

The pair walked through the camp and approached a rock that towered over them. Was their leader a rock? Was this a cult or something?

"Wait here." Webfoot ordered, then padded behind the rock.

The gray tom sat, waiting for the warrior to return with his leader. His stomach twisted into knots. What if this Tallstar wasn't too keen on foreigners? He'd be dead meat. He held is breath as Webfoot walked round the corner, followed by an old, black and white cat, his amber eyes held wisdom and age.

"So this is the loner you told me about?" Tallstar mewed. His voice reminded Lautrec of his grandpa. He felt warmth and nostalgia spread throughout him, he had a feeling he was in safe hands now.

"Yes," Webfoot replied, "I think he can understand us, though," the gray tabby added.

Tallstar turned his attention to the metahuman before him, "loner, can you understand me?" he inquired.

Lautrec nodded.

The black and white tom seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, "do you wish to join WindClan?"

"What?" Webfoot did a double take, "but Tallstar, nobody can understand him, and we're starving!" He pointed out.

"But he can understand us," Tallstar stated, "and what happens if he stumbles into another clan's territory? Or a rouge's? Then what does he do?" the old tom asked.

The WindClan warrior remained silent, admitting defeat.

The leader turned to Lautrec, "So? Do you wish to join?" he mewed, proposing his question.

He nodded.

"I'm glad," Tallstar purred, "I'll announce your arrival shortly," he added warmly.

"(Oh thank god. For a second I thought I was done for,)" The gray tom sighed in relief and happiness.

"Pardon?"

...

Ivan drifted in and out of consciousness, vertigo messing with his sense of balance. It made him sick to his stomach, it was an awful sensation. Fortunately, his senses came back to him.

The Russian seemed to be laying on something uncomfortable, it felt like he was lying on a bed made of reeds. The stench of fish and herbs assaulted his nostrils. Just where was he?

He opened his eye and was greeted by the sight of reeds woven to form a wall. He craned his neck to get a better look of his whereabouts, and found he was in a hut made of reeds.

It unnerved him. Ivan knew for a fact there were no reed huts in Russia, or any modern society. He looked around to see what he was lying on, and found the dull grey body of a long-furred cat with a white chest.

Ivan gasped in shock and immediately got to his paws. His eyes darted around wildly, hyperventilating. He was going into shock.

"Oh, you're awake now," a British-accented, feminine voice commented behind him. The Russian now knew he wasn't in his home country.

"(where the hell am I?)" He demanded as he turned to face the voice, and found a pretty golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

"What?" She asked, confused by the, what sounded to her, gibberish.

Ivan cleared his throat, "I apologise," he started, silently thanking his mother for making him take language classes as a child, "I'm just a little confused, can you tell me where I am?" his accent was thick, but not unintelligible.

"You're in RiverClan camp," she said, "we found you on the riverbank," the cat turned around, "I'm just going to get my leader to tell her your awake, okay?" she mewed.

"Okay," the metahuman replied, "oh, and can you tell me your name?" he inquired.

"Mothwing," she introduced.

"Ivan,"

"I'll be back in a minute." she replied as she padded outside.

Ivan was then left to his own devices. He tried to remember what happened to him; walking home after staying at his parents house for a drink, and then being murdered.

He sat in the nest he woken up, allowing himself to process the events that had transpired. This was insane, it seemed like something straight out of a comic book.

Soon, Mothwing returned with a golden dappled she-cat in tow. The dappled cat sized him up with her amber eyes.

"So, you're Ivan," She stated, slight distain in her voice. He wasn't concerned by it, being from a country where people would be treated with the same courtesy, unless it was a place popular with tourists.

"Yes," he replied.

"Are good enough to leave?" The RiverClan Leader inquired.

The Russian knew what she was implying; she wanted him to get out, "I am, but couldn't I stay here in RiverClan?"

"Stay?" The dappled cat repeated, "we don't have enough food," she stated, a hint to bitterness in her voice, "and we don't take in loners," she finished.

Ivan felt empathy for RiverClan, knowing full well what a famine could do to people. He doubted they were being oppressed by a corrupt government like his country had for almost a century, but he could still sympathise.

"Give me some time to prove myself," The Russian proposed, "if you're in the situation I think you're in; then you need all the help you can get," he added. In the end, it would benefit them both, he would have somewhere to stay, and she would have an extra set of hands - or paws.

"You have a quarter-moon, loner," the RiverClan leader stated as she padded out the den, "during your stay you will call me Leopardstar." Leopardstar introduced herself, and exited the den.

Ivan sighed in relief, he would have no problem proving that he could make the cut. He just had to think of it as a job interview that lasted a quarter-moon.

Wait, how long was a quarter-moon?

...

Everything came rushing back to Evan; running away; saying goodbye to Kelly; that weird guy; getting a shadowy sword through the chest.

The Brit's eyes shot open, darting around. His breathing had quickened as his heart thumped in his chest. Where the bloody hell was he?

He could see he was in a cave of some kind. The overwhelming stench of strong herbs assaulted his nose. Out of the corner of his eye he could see two cats, a grey one and a brown tabby. They were _massive,_ nearly the size of him.

Wait a minute.

Evan stared down at his body and found it was covered in gold fur. The colour drained from his face. He began to hyperventilate, his body temperature dropped, and everything began to feel distant.

This caught the attention of the two cats. They gray one said something to the other one, he didn't catch what was said.

The tabby scampered off as the other one padded towards him, carrying a leaf filled with something. She sat it down in front of him, showing the leaf's contents were a pepper-like substance.

"Eat these poppyseeds," She said, her voice was calm and soothing, like a nurse talking to a patient. Without thinking, he chewed on the seeds and the feeling of shock flushed from his system.

"Better?" She asked.

"B-better," Evan stuttered, trying to calm his breathing and process the situation, "where the bloody hell am I?" he questioned breathlessly.

"ThunderClan camp," she explained, "we found you unconscious," she added.

"and where's your friend off to?" He asked, curiosity in his shaky voice.

"Oh, Leafpaw? She's away to get Firestar," the gray she-cat answered.

"Who?" The gold tom inquired.

The medicine cat proceeded to tell him about ThunderClan, Firestar, and everything that had transpired in the past 20 moons (how long is that?). Someone called Tigerstar had tried to take over the clans, only to be killed by someone else called Scourge. But now, they were starving and twolegs (what's a twoleg?) had been sighted on the territory.

He never had a chance to ask anymore questions, as a ginger tom walked into the den along with Leafpaw. His green eyes were fixed on the metahuman, curiosity glinting from them. This had to be Firestar.

"I see you're awake," Firestar commented, "how are you feeling?" he asked. Evan noticed that he was genuinely concerned, rather than saying it out of courtesy.

"I'm, uh, fine," The Brit responded.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" The ThunderClan leader asked.

Evan almost immediately felt homesick, "n-no, I don't," he muttered.

"Then, do you wish to join Thunderclan," The ginger tom proposed.

Evan thought about it. He didn't have anywhere to go to, and he had nothing to lose. "Yes," he said simply.

"I had a feeling you would join," Firestar purred, "I'll come back later when you're ready for your apprentice ceremony," he mewed.

"What happens during that?" The gold cat asked, curious.

"you receive a warrior's name, and I decide who will train you," Firestar explained.

"Sounds good, but I'm not sure about getting my name changed, I'll need to give it a think," Evan stated, "uh, no offence," he added quickly.

"None taken," the ginger tom mewed, "just get some rest for now," he ordered. Firestar turned to the medicine cat apprentice, "Leafpaw, could you get our guest a mouse?" he asked. The brown tabby nodded her head.

"No no, it's fine," The metahuman reassured, "I can get it myself," he said as he stood, only to stumble. In truth, he just didn't want to eat a rodent.

Firestar looked back at Leafpaw, and told her to get something out of the fresh-kill pile. As she padded off, the ginger tom turned his attention to Evan, "get some rest, you need it," he said concerned, like he was a father talking to his son.

Before Firestar trotted out of the medicine den, he turned back, "I forgot to ask, what's your name?" he inquired.

"Evan," The Brit replied.

"Welcome to ThunderClan, Evan." The ginger tom smiled before he exited the den.

Evan lied back down in his nest. Firestar seemed sound, but what about the rest of the clan? They weren't in a terribly good situation, and he would be just an extra mouth to feed. He sighed, this was just fucking terrific.

Soon, he heard Leafpaw padding up to him. Evan looked up and saw that she was carrying a large blackbird in her jaws. She sat it down in front on him.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I picked this," Leafpaw explained, her amber eyes avoiding his gaze. The tabby couldn't have been any older than himself.

 _Aw, she's shy_ The tom thought to himself, "it's alright, I like blackbird," he lied, _I'm sure it tastes like chicken_ he reassured himself, "although, I don't think I'll finish it, you want some?" he asked.

"oh, um, sure," Leafpaw mewed, sitting down to share the bird with him. To Evan's surprise, blackbird was brilliant. After they finished, they sat and chatted before Leafpaw returned to her duties.

Evan turned to face the wall, and took Firestar's advice, and drifted off to sleep. Not a shabby start.


	3. Chapter 3

Evan, now Sunpaw, yawned, feeling absolutely knackered, "Do we have to train at the crack of dawn? I'm bloody tired," he whined.

The golden tom had recently been introduced into clan life. After the way Firestar, Cinderpelt, and Leafpaw had treated him, he thought his arrival would go smoothly with the rest of them.

Oh, how fucking wrong he was.

The second his membership of ThunderClan was announced, it was immediately met with protest. Sunpaw thought of himself as a confident individual, but in that moment he felt like he was the most hated person in the world. The Brit offered to leave, but Firestar wouldn't have it.

"Yes," Greystripe replied, "C'mon, we're keeping everyone else waiting," the mentor ushered.

"Who's training with us?" Sunpaw asked.

"Squirrelpaw, Shrewpaw, and Whitepaw," The grey tom answered.

Evan felt a pang of happiness. The kind that you feel went you've been put on the same team as all your mates in PE.

Squirrelpaw, Leafpaw's sister, was sound in his opinion. Although, she was pretty hyper and chatty. Like yesterday, when she wouldn't stop pestering him about life as a rouge, or wouldn't stop going on about ThunderClan. He was still trying to decide if she's just got a bubbly personality or if she actually had ADHD.

Shrewpaw and Whitepaw were cats he wasn't terribly familiar with. Sunpaw had only talked with the both of them only once and that was to say "night".

The apprentice followed Greystripe closely. Passing through the territory made him feel like an ant. Trees the size of buildings and bushes big enough to hide a cat and a half surrounded him.

Briefly, he wondered how clan cats would react to a city like London or Manchester. They would probably feel the same way he did right now.

They padded into a sandy hollow. Squirrelpaw sat in conversation with Shrewpaw and Whitepaw, while the three mentors sat with impatience etched into their faces.

"Took you long enough," Dustpelt, Squirrelpaw's mentor, huffed.

"Sorry, but someone wasn't getting up," The deputy responded, nudging his apprentice.

Sunpaw's face lit up in embarrassment. He knew Greystripe meant it in good will, but he couldn't help feeling flustered.

"uh, what are we doing?" The Brit inquired.

"Battle training," Squirrelpaw stated simply, "don't worry, I'll go easy on you." the ginger she-cat teased.

He felt pangs of disappointment course through him. Evan had only been in two fights before when he was extremely young. He couldn't even remember what happened in them that's how long ago they were.

He prepared himself to get absolutely battered.

"Just pin her down, and that's it," Greystripe whispered in his ear, "remember, claws sheathed," the ThunderClan warrior reminded.

Then the fight began. Both apprentices circled one another slowly, blue eyes staring into green orbs. Suddenly, Squirrelpaw charged towards her opponent. Sunpaw sidestepped the charge, and retaliated with heavy blow. The ginger she-cat yelped as the blow connected.

The gold tom immediately regretted his decision, "bollocks, I'm so sorry," he began to apologise profusely, only to be tackled to the sandy ground. He kicked Squirrelpaw off using his hind legs and scrambled to his paws.

 _Cheeky ginger prick_ he mewed mentally, half shocked and offended. The apprentice genuinely thought he had hurt her, and she took advantage. Clever girl. He contemplated momentarily about throwing sand in Squirrelpaw's face the first he got. But decided against it, seeing how much of a dick move it was.

The fight continued, both parties gaining the upper hand temporarily before they became evenly matched. Fatigue began to creep up on Sunpaw, he wasn't used to doing this much exercise for this length of time.

The golden tom charged and leapt for his opponent, but she dodged as he landed and then bowled him over. She placed a paw on his chest as she stood over him.

"I win." Squirrelpaw stated, a look of smug satisfaction adorned her features.

The battle training continued, each apprentice was able to face the other several times. Sunpaw only won thrice: his second go at Squirrelpaw, once against Shrewpaw, and the final time against Whitepaw. But that doesn't mean he didn't get his arse handed to him on a silver platter.

Sunpaw didn't keep track of time. He just wanted to do something else other than getting beaten into the dirt. Almost as if by divine intervention, the mentors called it a day for battle training.

They were allowed to head back to camp to rest for awhile, which all four apprentices took full advantage of. Upon returning to camp, all four apprentices immediately headed for the fresh-kill pile.

Sunpaw picked out a blackbird (he refused to touch a rodent), planning on sharing with Leafpaw again. Padding up to the medicine den, Cinderpelt walked out.

He felt flickers of pity looking at the she-cat, her limping hind leg made him feel awful. He didn't know what happened, but frankly he didn't want to know.

The medicine cat immediately noticed the prey in his jaws, "hi Sunpaw, looking for Leafpaw?" she asked.

He nodded.

"She's in there, sorting herbs," Cinderpelt told him. He muttered "thank you" as he padded past her and into the medicine den. He soon found his brown tabby friend.

Leafpaw was alerted to his presence, she turned to him, "hi, Sunpaw," she greeted, her tail flicked behind her.

The Brit plopped the blackbird on the ground, "hungry?" He asked. Evan knew ThunderClan was having difficulty food-wise, and he could never finish a full blackbird. So why not share? He conserved prey and he got to chat with someone who was essentially his best friend. Two birds with one stone.

"A bit." She confessed, like yesterday, they had half-and-half each. They chatted about whatever came to their minds. He was inevitably was asked about his life as a rouge, which he tried to answer to the best of his ability, and in turn he asked about her time in the nursery. He noticed during their conversation that he actually felt better whenever he talked to Leafpaw.

Laughs were had, whether it was him telling her about something stupid a friend of his did or she was recalling something dumb Squirrelpaw did. He didn't want the conversation to end, but it had to end after Cinderpelt shooed him out of the den.

Sunpaw padded out of the den with a smile on his face. Maybe he would have a brilliant time here.

...

Lautrec, now know as Smokepaw, stalked the rabbit before him. It stood nibbling on grass, blissfully unaware of the cat stalking it.

Smokepaw had listened to Webfoot's instructions carefully. He kept low to the ground, making sure to make as little noise as possible.

"Ready?" He heard his mentor ask.

The grey tom nodded his head, steeling his nerves for what he was about to do. He never liked animals getting hurt. But, dog eat dog world he guessed.

"Now." Webfoot stated.

He pounced on the mammal, startling it. It slipped out of his paws and fled in a random direction. "(oh no you don't.)" Smokepaw huffed and gave chase immediately. The rabbit desperately tried to shake the predator pursuing it, changing directions to throw him off.

Slowly, the prey began to put distance between them. Suddenly, the grey tom felt a familiar feeling of weightlessness as the scent of smoke filled his nostrils. Instantly, he found himself in front of the mammal as it ran straight into his paws.

Taking advantage of the situation, the tom pinned the creature and snapped it's neck. Honestly, with everything that was happening recently, he forgot he could do that. The gray tom padded back to Webfoot, the rabbit in his jaws.

"Nice catch," The gray tabby praised, "but, maybe try and get it the first time," he commented.

"(I caught it at least.)" Lautrec reminded through a mouthful of fur, slight annoyance in his voice.

Webfoot didn't reply, not knowing what was being said. So he took it as an optimistic response from his apprentice.

Smokepaw joined WindClan yesterday after Tallstar asked him if he wished to. He agreed and his ceremony was held. To say the gibberish-talking cat was popular would be a down-right lie. WindClan was starving, and now they have an outsider who nobody could understand who had to be fed too. He might as well have been saying "Tigerstar did nothing wrong" with how little some cats thought of him.

But nobody would harm him, most cats just ignored him. Although, Crowpaw took a keen interest in him. Most likely to figure out what he was saying just to brag about it to everyone else.

Webfoot remembered their one-way conversation yesterday. Although he didn't understand what Smokepaw was saying, he knew Crowpaw might as well have been talking to a bush.

"Okay, say something and I guarantee I'll know what you're saying," Crowpaw mewed cockily, a sickening amount of confidence in his blue eyes.

"(I know bread that understands French better than you,)" The older apprentice huffed, his grey tail flicked back and forth in annoyance.

"...You said something about pain," The smokey grey tom stated.

"(yeah, no,)" Smokepaw deadpanned.

"We none?" Crowpaw repeated what he believed was said.

"(Just stop.)" The ex-rouge groaned.

Webfoot purred in amusement at the memory. Smokepaw treated Crowpaw the way a warrior would treat a kit pestering them for early training. It provided some comic relief in a more difficult time.

The two continued to hunt. Yet they only returned with two scrawny rabbits. A measly catch for a fully trained warrior and a cat able to teleport at will. The grey tabby tossed his catch onto the fresh kill pile while his apprentice took his rabbit and sat down to have his meal.

The rabbit tasted okay but he wasn't all to hungry and only ate a quarter of it, so he turned towards Crowpaw and passed it towards him.

"(Want the rest?)" The grey tom asked.

"what's the matter? Don't like it?" The smokey grey tom inquiried.

Smokepaw shrugged his shoulders, "(I'm not hungry,)", he stated. Truly, he had never been someone who stuffed their face, and he was trying to make up for being an extra mouth to feed.

"Thanks," Crowpaw mewed, tearing into the rabbit. Smokepaw almost scolded him for not chewing with his mouth closed, but cats don't know what table manners are. "For a loner, you're alright," the other apprentice commented.

"(Uh, thanks,)" he replied.

"Mercy means "thanks", right?" Crowpaw asked.

"(yes,)" Smokepaw replied, somewhat happy someone could understand him, even if it was a word or two.

"And that means "yes"," The tom stated.

Lautrec nodded his head.

"Hey, give me enough time and I'll understand everything you're saying." Crowpaw purred. Smokepaw just laughed at the comment. Maybe his time here wouldn't be too bad.

...

Ivan, furiously kicked his legs as he tried to keep his head above the water. The Russian knew how to swim, and was good enough to get on his high school's swimming team. But as a cat? Well, that was a different story.

"Put your back into it," Hawkfrost called out from his resting position on dry land. He was slightly amused by the older cat, who was swimming like a kit.

"I'm trying!" He yelled back in protest.

Hawkfrost had been tasked with watching Ivan for the next quarter-moon (turned out that was only a week) and then report at the end of the day on his progress. Which rouge considered to be a snap-decision, considering that the RiverClan warrior only became a warrior a few moons ago. He guessed that the situation for the clan consisted of more than just a lack of food. It was ironic too; he was being looked after by someone both younger and shorter than him.

The rouge continued to paddle, gaining more control over time. He would still need to practice, but this would do for now.

"Alright, I think that's enough swimming for today," The RiverClan warrior commented, swimming like an otter past the rouge and onto the other side of the river.

Ivan followed. He attempted to dry his soaking grey pelt. He heard Hawkfrost purr in amusement. The Russian felt a pang of embarrassment. He must have looked stupid.

"What now?" Ivan asked, impatient. He had one week to prove that he was worth having in RiverClan. Simply put, he didn't want to fuck this up when he had nowhere else to go.

"Hunting," Hawfrost stated simply as he padded down the river.

The pair walked by the river's side, traveling far enough that RiverClan camp remained out of sight. Ivan noticed fish swimming underneath the water's surface, light reflecting of their silver scales.

The dark brown tom turned towards his temporary apprentice, "Do you have any idea on how to hunt?," he inquired.

The grey tom shook his head. RiverClan ate fish. And unless they had fishing rods and bait lying around, he didn't have a clue. Hawkfrost then gave him a run-down on how to hunt. It was simple; he just had to wait until a fish swam by and use his claws to throw it onto dry land.

Ivan dipped his paw under the water, claws unsheathed. Most fish were smart enough to keep a distance from his paw, until one was dumb enough to swim right into his paw. The rouge used his claws to cradle the prey as he launched it out of the water.

Although, it didn't go as planned. Instead of landing on the ground, it landed on his face. It flopped around before miraculously returning into it's natural habitat. Ivan's face heated up as he heard Hawkfrost's poor attempt to stifle laughter.

He tried over, and over, and over again. Cursing whenever he failed. Acquiring nothing but a single, measly fish. Meanwhile, his temporary mentor had decided to fish alongside him. Hawkfrost's efforts were rewarded more generously, as he successfully caught three fish to Ivan's one.

The RiverClan cat did something unexpected; he sat his catches in front of the rouge. Ivan's blue eyes widened in surprise and confusion. Why was Hawkfrost giving him his fish?

"You caught all of the fish, understand?" He stated, a serious look in his icy blue eyes.

"Why?" The Russian inquired, "Surely you don't want to go back empty pawed," he added, almost saying "empty handed". He didn't see a reason for Hawkfrost to give him his prey.

"Because I've been in your situation; needing to prove yourself while you're getting scrutinised by everyone watching," The RiverClan warrior explained.

The grey tom was taken aback. Instantly, he gained a new respect for Hawkfrost through this act of kindness and comradery. "Thank you," he said, barely above a whisper.

"Don't mention it," Hawkfrost replied, shrugging off the praise, "we rouges should stick together," he added as he began the journey back to RiverClan camp.

After they returned to camp, Ivan sat down in front of the apprentice's den, a fish in his paws. He watched as Hawkfrost chatted with Leopardstar from a distance, watching as her face morphed into a look of surprise. The RiverClan cat must be telling her how he 'caught' four fish.

Speaking of fish, he turned his attention to his food and began to devour it. Fish had been one of his favourite foods as a human, and it seemed that hadn't changed from becoming a cat. It seemed to taste better actually.

The Russian looked towards the sky, noticing the sun was setting, casting a red, pink, and yellow hue over the sky. Deciding that today was over, he entered the den and laid down in his nest. He fell into a deep sleep.

...

"Sparkpaw, are you even trying?" Blackstar growled in irritation.

"Hey! This isn't easy when there's twigs n' shit everywhere!" David, or Sparkpaw, yelled in protest as he attempted to remain stealthy, "maybe don't wake me up at _fucking midnight_ next time!".

"I'm not one of your friends. I am your mentor and you'll treat me as such!" The ShadowClan leader yowled.

Blackstar had never met such a mouthy rouge in his life. He half-listened to everything he was taught and when he made a mistake; it was just excuse after excuse.

He knew that it would be difficult to train him: no ShadowClan warrior would be caught dead training a rouge, he was far older than most apprentices so training wouldn't be as easy, and he doubted someone like him would ever want to be a medicine cat.

So, Blackstar swallowed his pride and took up the mantle of the rouge's mentor, and it was going about as smooth as running down a rocky hill. _Give him time,_ the white tom reassured himself, _maybe he's just struggling to adapt_.

"Okay," Blackstar sighed, "We'll try some hunting instead,"

Sparkpaw sighed in relief, "Finally, I was gettin' sick running around like a moron around that tree," he mewed.

The pair padded silently through the territory. Both quiet and in their own thoughts.

David was going used to clan life, even if everyone just ignored him, and Rowanclaw was hostile whenever he saw him. Seriously, fuck that guy. But that was fine with him, why would he need others when he's a walking battery?

But Tawnypelt was cool. If it wasn't for her, he'd have been kicked out to fend for himself. He knew he sorta owed her one, but the tabby would get her a piece of prey and he'd be even. The tortoiseshell she-cat may be indifferent to him, but he liked her.

"Are you even looking for prey?" David's mentor asked.

"Of course I am," The tabby snorted, "there's something in the bush," he stated casually as he pointed towards a bush to his left. A mouse scurried out of the bush, heading for cover. Without Blackstar's input, his apprentice pounced on the rodent.

"Sparkpaw!" Blackstar hissed. Was his apprentice really that mousebrained? The brown tabby didn't even know how to hunt, yet he was still doing his own thing.

"What?" Sparkpaw replied, standing up from his crouching position over the mouse. But the rodent didn't take its' golden opportunity to flee and live to die another day. In fact, it never moved. Strange, considering he hadn't snapped it's neck.

"Do you want my help or not?" The white tom asked, "because if you're going to do whatever you want when I'm spending _my_ time trying to mentor you, I'll just exile you," He threatened. Blackstar didn't know if Sparkpaw was aware of how very real that threat was, but he has had enough of the rouge's callous attitude.

"Sorry," David muttered.

The ShadowClan leader opened his mouth to scold his apprentice further for backchat, only to close his mouth when he realised Sparkpaw was actually listening to him.

Blackstar sighed, "It's fine, just listen to me from now on." he finished. They continued to hunt. Blackstar taught the rouge the proper hunter's crouch, which he managed to pick rather quick.

After Sparkpaw caught a second mouse and a frog. The three pieces of prey were scrawny, but they would fill a warrior's stomach. Hopefully. The pair then head back to camp.

"Looks like you guys aren't the only ones starving," The tabby tom commented as he threw the prey on the fresh-kill pile. In his opinion, it was fucking disgusting to look at. Just a pile of dead animals in the middle of camp, and he seemed to be the only one affected by it.

"I'm good to go sleep, right?" The brown tabby asked, yawning at the end for effect.

"On you go." Blackstar pardoned his apprentice.

David muttered a tired "thanks" before padding into the apprentice's den. He found his nest, one of the empty nests right up at the back. He stepped over his clanmates, careful not to disturb them.

He curled up in his nest. His eyelids dropped involuntary, like they were being forced shut. David offered no resistance, and allowed sleep to take him by the hand - paw. Whatever, same thing.


	4. Chapter 4

David briefly thought that he had lost his sight. He panicked until his sight returned to him slowly, like he had been laying down and suddenly stood up.

Above him was a beautiful night sky, full of stars as the pale moon hung high.

The American stood in a large field in a clearing, surrounded by tall grass dancing in the wind. Trees bordered the clearing, beyond them was a impenetrable darkness. He soon realised that we was taller than he remembered.

"Holy shit. Am I normal again?" He asked himself as he looked down to find he was, in fact, a human again. Standing in the clothes he died in. He let out a woop of relief and happiness. Finally, he could go home, get to Allen and pretend nothing involving talking cats had occurred.

Yet, he felt strange. Specifically, in the stomach region. It felt like a part of it was missing. He felt as his abdomen, his blood running cold as his fingers seemed to enter his stomach. Wasting no time, he immediately removed his jacket, revealing a bloodied blue hoodie.

David lifted his hoodie and shirt only to come face to face with a large, vertical laceration on his body that didn't seem to bleed. He felt shock take a hold of him. This was impossible, David wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he knew that he should be six feet under.

He felt something brush by his leg as put on his shirt, hoodie, and jacket. The metahuman was able to catch a glimpse of a large, ghostly, brown tabby cat. He watched as it sprinted forward, he had a hunch that something wasn't right about that cat.

After the strange cat got to a certain distance. The American immediately buckled to the ground, clutching his stomach as white hot pain coursed through him. A red stain began to spread on his shirt and hoodie.

David coughed harshly as he tried to regain composure, his shaky breaths the only sound that was heard. He looked up at the cat, able to get a better look at the feline.

It was big, not the size of a Maine Coon, but still big. Amber eyes like headlights pierced his soul, and the cat's face was decorated with scars. It yowled at him, almost like it was beckoning him.

The metahuman struggled to his feet and began to pursue the ghastly feline. After he began closing the distance between them, the pain he felt subsided and the cat scampered into the trees.

David gave chase. Bursting through the tree line and into the dark, only instead he tumbled downwards into a narrow gorge. The teen coughed, tasting dirt and soil in his mouth.

He looked up, hoping to get a gauge of how far he fallen and found that he hadn't fallen far. Not only that, but he wasn't even in a forest, evidenced by the lack of tees or nightly forest sounds. "The hell?" David wondered aloud.

Again, he heard the phantom cats yowling. Without thinking David fired a bolt of electricity in the cat's general direction, already sick of it. The spear of energy struck a boulder, causing it to smoulder.

The feline only hissed in anger in return and began to scurry off around a corner. David immediately initiated the game of cat and mouse, knowing full well what happened if the cat go too far away.

The American turned the corner. Instead of coming into the rest of the gorge, he was in a hallway with no sign of the cat he had been pursuing. "How the fuck did I get here?" David muttered, the most confused he had been in his life. He turned to check if the gorge was still behind him, only to find it was gone and replaced with more of the hallway.

The hallway was brimming with lockers on either side, with posters and notice boards hanging on the brick walls. Wooden doors with windows were peppered around the area. This was a school's hallway. His school's hallway.

David wondered how surreal this dream would get, with the teleporting and nonsensical shit going on, he wasn't going to be surprised when the _really_ crazy stuff came into play.

Suddenly, a locker began to violently shake, like someone was trapped on the inside. "Oh, fuckin' Christ!" He yelped, blue electricity arcing over the metahuman's arms out of instinct. He fired a bolt at the shuddering locker, both electrocuting it and the rest of the lockers it was surrounded by. It stopped moving.

David crept slowly towards the locker. Electricity still arced on it's metal surface, yet David was able to take hold of the lock. One of the perks of your body being able to generate electricity was that you could stick a fork into a plug socket and walk it off.

The locker's number was 115; David's locker. He put in his code for the lock, 7-3-9-9. He swung the door open, bracing himself for a body to crumple to the floor from its' resting place.

Yet nothing fell out. Instead there was just sheets of paper, sloppily stuffed inside. Perplexed, the American glanced briefly over a few. Most were letters addressed to his mother about lack of homework, bad behaviour, and generally letters about him being an asshole.

He never cared about school, so he had never given a single letter to his mother and just stuffed them in his locker that he never used. She knew he wasn't doing well anyway, making it redundant to even bring them home.

However there was one that wasn't a letter. It faced away from the teen, so he remained unaware of what it had written on it, and it seemed to have been ripped hastily out of a newspaper or something.

David took one look at the slip of paper's headline and his blood immediately began to boil. It read "David Falkirk, age 17, found dead", followed by a crime report. Was he being taunted about his own death? He crumpled up the report. The next time he saw that cat he's going fry it.

"You're his favourite, you know" A voice called out from behind him. The metahuman instantly recognised the voice. It was the man who murdered him. Without even thinking, David let loose a bolt of electricity.

The murder moved as the bolt scraped his shoulder. Immediately, he retaliated by sending a barrage of shadowy tendrils towards his former target.

The American ignored the shadows and charged for the hitman, tackling him to the ground. They both grunted as they collided with solid ground. David began to choke the stranger.

"You son of a bitch," He hissed through gritted teeth, raising his right hand as it began to cackle with energy, "Remember what I said I'd do if I ever saw you again?" He asked. David brought his electricity-enveloped fist down on the murder.

David's vision was then replaced by burning white light. He clenched his eyes shut, yet he still saw the blinding light. The metahuman shielded his eyes with his arms, cursing like it was the last time he would ever say such words.

Although, he wasn't sure he was alone. The American caught glimpses of three other people.

The tallest was a man with dark brown hair, stubble, and blue eyes. Most likely in his mid-twenties, wearing a sage green parka and wore smart-looking clothes. There was a blood stain in the centre of his chest like he had been stabbed or impaled.

The second guy was skinny, with medium-length brown hair hidden behind a gray beanie, and brown eyes. He didn't look too older than him. He wore a checkered gray shirt rolled up at the sleeves, denim pants and black sneakers. His neck sat in an unnatural position.

The third was the shortest, he had blonde hair and the usual blue eyes that accompanied the hair color. He was definitely younger than David, probably by a year or two. He wore a red hoodie, denim pants and a bloodied white shirt adorned with a tower of boom-boxes and speakers, accompanied by a black font that read "Gorillaz". His arms hung uselessly by his sides.

The sight made him shudder. Whether it was people in his situation or they were just plain dead, he didn't know and didn't want to.

The blinding light subsided, allowing David to lower his arms and open his eyes. He found himself at the starting point. In that same damn field. "The fuck? How?!" He asked himself breathlessly.

This place, wherever or whatever it was, was going to give him a migraine with this inception-esque crap.

He saw a cat just standing, but it wasn't the feline that had led him on a chase. It was smaller than the ghostly one. The cat's pelt was funky looking, and instantly thought of a ShadowClan warrior he knew.

Wait, was that Tawnypelt?

"Hey, Tawnypelt, is that you?" David called out as he approached the cat. The closer the metahuman got, he swore he could hear the sound of distant thunder rumbling. When he got close enough, Tawnypelt turned to face him. Her eyes made him jump, they were blue pools of energy that electricity pour out of.

"Look to the sky, David." The she-cat mewed in a monotonous voice.

David again felt a searing pain coming from his stomach. He collapsed to the ground and rolled onto his back, gasping for air. The last thing he saw before his vision faded was the beautiful night sky and the pale full-moon.

 _"Seek midnight,"_ A voice whispered, _"seek power, seek what is rightfully yours."_ It purred, a sadistic tone crept into it's voice.

David snapped awake in a cold sweat, his heavy breathing the only sound he heard. "That was one hell of a fever-dream," the tabby commented to himself. He wanted to brush it off as some weird dream, but everything stuck with him.

Especially that message. What did it mean? Was midnight a person or did it mean the time? His thoughts were interrupted by Blackstar.

"Sparkpaw, get up. It's time for training," The ShadowClan leader called into the apprentice's den.

"Yeah, uh... be right there," David responded, as he readied himself for another day of training. He put his dream into a dark corner of his mind for now. Yet, he had a dreadful feeling that something big was coming.

And it was going to rock his world like a hurricane.


	5. Chapter 5

It has now been several days since Ivan, now known as Coldpaw, had woken up RiverClan. He luckily had impressed Leopardstar enough to the point where he was now a fully-fledged RiverClan apprentice and his mentor was, unsurprisingly, Hawkfrost.

The pair had bonded greatly since they first met. If it wasn't for the brown tabby, The Russian would have been left alone in an alien situation. He had a deep rooted respect for Hawkfrost since.

Coldpaw had gained new skills in the past week too. His swimming improved, turns out he's fairly skilled in fighting. But, the apprentice's hunting skills were lacking severely. In fact, they were abysmal to the point where Hawkfrost just handed him whatever prey he caught.

The metahuman picked a fish from the fresh-kill pile, noticing how much smaller it had become. Dread crept into his soul. How long was it until a famine happened? Or had it already begun?

The grey tom sat down in front of the apprentice's den, devouring his fish. Despite having eaten fish for almost a full week straight it still remained his favourite meal. Of course, that would probably change in future.

Hawkfrost suddenly approached him, a fish in his jaws. He sat next to Coldpaw, "You know, Leopardstar's going to announce who's going to the gathering," the RiverClan cat mewed beTfore tearing into his fish.

"What's a gathering?" The Russian inquiried.

"It's when all four clans meet and share news at moon-high," The brown tabby responded.

"I see," Coldpaw muttered. Frankly, it didn't sound any different from a meeting.

"So, have a good sleep last night?" The mentor asked.

"Yes, I had a good rest," The grey tom lied. In truth, he had a very peculiar dream. One that he couldn't brush off as a simple nightmare. It started in a field frozen with ice under a beautiful night sky, only to see a cat that made his chest feel like it had been impaled when I got too far away from him.

Then, the ghostly cat somehow lead in to a frozen and war-torn Volgograd. The city he grew up in until his father's work forced them to move to Archangel. Then, it lead him to his own grave.

Shock and offence took over him when he laid eyes on the tombstone. Ivan had then heard the voice of his murderer. The Russian didn't pay attention to what was said, only lashing out at the killer.

A bright light, a light so incandescent it made the sun look dim, and he was back in the frozen field. He could have sworn he saw other people during the flash of light. Except, he wasn't alone. A new silver tabby cat stood in the field. The metahuman approached the cat. It turned to him and he realised it was Feathertail, only her blue eyes had been replaced with ice.

"Look to the sky, Ivan," 'Feathertail' told him, followed by an agonising pain in his chest that made him collapse to the ground. A voice had then told him to seek midnight, power, and what was rightfully his.

It disturbed him that he could remember it crystal clear. Normal dreams don't work like that, you never remember it exactly with every minor detail. Something disastrous was about to happen, Ivan felt it in his bones.

"Oh, look's like she's announcing it now," Hawkfrost commented.

The pair listened intently, waiting to see who would participate in the gathering. Mistyfoot, Heavystep, Feathertail, Stormfur, Reedpaw and another apprentice were picked, as well as Hawkfrost and Coldpaw.

There was protest immediately upon hearing ex-rouge's name. A round of "he just joined today!" and "why does the rouge get to go and I don't?" filled Coldpaw's ears. It had bothered how many of the clan protested against his stay here days ago, but he didn't care anymore. RiverClan was stuck with him, whether they like it or not.

"Silence!" Leopardstar yowled, "Coldpaw is going to this gathering, and that's final!" She hissed. The clan's yells of protest dwindled. Satisfied, the RiverClan leader padded into her den as the gathered cats returned to their previous activities.

"First day as an apprentice and going to a gathering? Lucky you," Hawkfrost commented, returning to his fish.

Coldpaw knew the only reason he was both allowed to stay and go to this gathering is because of Hawkfrost's exaggeration of his abilities. They were grounded in reality is what made them so believable. He was never telling tales of how he was bested by his apprentice in every training match or that he able to catch a shoal of fish in a single hunt.

"I guess so," Coldpaw replied, "is this your first gathering too?" he asked.

"Yep," The mentor replied, "I'm looking forward to it," he added. He finished his fish, "C'mon, let's go hunting," Hawkfrost mewed, padding away, his apprentice followed behind him.

After finding a suitable spot for hunting, swimming with fish of different sizes and shades of silver and grey, the pair sat and waited in silence for the opportunity to catch their prey. They hunted for several hours, small conversations would occur between long periods of silence.

"Do you know who Tigerstar is, Coldpaw?" Hawkfrost suddenly asked, breaking the thick quiet that hung over them.

"No," Coldpaw stated simply. He didn't have a clue about RiverClan history, or the history of it's neighbors. He had a feeling he should, so maybe this Tigerstar character was a good place to start.

"He was a cat who just wanted peace," The tabby explained, "and the only way to do that was turning four clans into one,"

"Surly there was another way," Coldpaw muttered.

"There wasn't," Hawkfrost mewed, "outside of gatherings, the clans hate each other," he stated, "fighting along clan borders happens anytime two patrols even _look_ at each other and Starclan forbid you have a mate from another clan," the tabby said in a matter-of-fact tone, "and the worst part is that they all like it like that,"

Hawkfrost continued, "all Tigerstar wanted was for it to stop. No more fighting, no more petty rivalry," he sighed, "it would be better for everyone like that, don't you think?" the RiverClan tom inquired.

Coldpaw thought to himself, thinking of an answer. If what Hawkfrost was saying is true, then to have the four clans united would be beneficial for everyone.

He didn't have to ponder long for an example to come to mind: Scotland and England had been in several wars with one another before they became the mainland of the UK. After they untied, there was no more fighting between the two and they flourished.

"Yes," The tom mewed in agreement.

Hawkfrost flashed him a sincere smile, "good to see I'm not the only one who thinks my father was just trying to do good,"

"Tigerstar was your father?" The Russian asked in surprise.

The tabby nodded, "didn't know him too well, he died when I was young," he muttered.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Coldpaw said, placing his tail-tip on his friend's should in a gesture of condolence and comfort.

"It's fine," Hawkfrost responded. He looked up to the sky and realised the sun was now setting. "Let's take back our fish and get some shut eye before the gathering," he stated, picking up the prey and carrying it in his jaws. The grey tom followed closely behind.

Sleep felt like a mere blink to Coldpaw as he soon found himself surrounded by cats from other clans under a full moon. Cats gossiped and conversated around him. A few cats had talked to him, most commented about his accent and hight.

The younger warriors and apprentices had trouble wrapping their heads around that someone his age was an apprentice. The metahuman thought the comments were amusing:

"You're the size of a badger!"

"You? An apprentice? You have to be joking,"

The four leaders began their announcements. Turns out that RiverClan wasn't the only one suffering from a food shortage, all four of them were. WindClan especially, who were both short on food and water.

"Leopardstar, does WindClan have permission to drink from the river?" The WindClan leader, an old black and white tom, asked.

A conflicted expression morphed onto Leopardstar's face. After brief silence, the she-cat gave her answer, "you have my permission," she stated. Protest immediately sounded from RiverClan, which was silenced by their leader.

Coldpaw knew immediately why Hawkfrost believed in unity of the four clans. _They really do hate each other,_ the tom mused.

"We also have two new warriors and a medicine cat who joined us," Leopardstar continued, "Hawkfrost, Mothwing, and Coldpaw,". All four clans erupted in protest. He just rolled his blue eyes, he was beyond caring at this point.

Coldpaw turned to Hawkfrost for his reaction, who looked bored and unimpressed with the clans' outcries.

After the announcements were concluded, a ginger tom approached the mentor-apprentice duo. The grey tom recognised him as the leader of ThunderClan. "Don't worry, the fuss over your heritage will end soon," he reassured them, almost as if he was talking from experience.

The gathering continued as normal, yet the metahuman felt he had heard everything he needed to. He began his search for Leopardstar, wishing to ask to for permission to leave early.

Coldpaw spotted her chatting with the other leaders. He approached the dabbled she-cat and she became aware of his presence.

"Yes, Coldpaw?" Leopardstar mewed.

"Is it fine if I leave early?" The grey tom asked.

"On you go," The RiverClan leader responded.

"(Thank you,)" he said as he dipped his head in thanks. As the RiverClan apprentice left he heard the al of the leader's confusion as one chimed in that WindClan had an apprentice who talked in a similar fashion.

The grey tom had chosen to talk in his native tongue because he couldn't live with himself if he forgot the language he was brought up with. Forgetting a language sounded like forgetting how to walk. But it was a very real possibility.

As Coldpaw walked by the river, he pondered on the peculiar dream he had. Was this midnight a person, an event, or something else entirely? And why was Feathertail there with ice for eyes? He didn't have any real connection to her, and how did he recognise her? She was definitely a sight for sore eyes, yes. But from a human's perspective she just looked like any other cat with silver-ish fur.

Suddenly, he heard voices in discussion.

"You guys had it too?" An American accented voice, exclaimed in surprised.

"Yeah mate, like I was running after a cat and I just ended up places I shouldn't be in. Same with you?" A British voice replied. Yet it was different from the clans' accent.

"Yeah," The American responded, "fuckin' weird," he muttered.

"Same with you?" The Brit asked a third cat.

"(Yes, Rosbif,) a voice speaking in French sighed, "(I've been telling you two for the past thirty minutes,)" he huffed.

"...I think that's a yes," The American commented.

"(I really don't like you two,)" The Frenchman replied.

Coldpaw immediately followed the voices, "what's this about dreams?" he called as he reached the source of the voices.

Three cats sat by the river's edge. The first was a brown tabby with a white underbelly and blue eyes. He looked like Hawkfrost if he had a lighter coat and his eyes were a darker shade of blue. The tom was with an average build and height of a cat his age.

The second cat was the smallest and the youngest of the three, with gold fur and blue eyes a lighter shade than his accomplice. He bore a skinny frame.

The third was the tallest, by only an inch above the tabby, and most likely the oldest. He had a skinny frame, grey fur covered his body and a look of annoyance filled his amber eyes.

"Yeah, and what's it to you?" The American cat challenged.

"I dreamt the same as you three," Coldpaw stated.

"Did you?" The Brit replied, "bloody hell, this is getting weirder by the second," he muttered to himself, "oh, and do you understand a word of French?" the gold tom asked, referring to grey tom at his side.

"(yes, I know French, but it's my weakest language,)" The RiverClan tom answered in French.

"(Thank Christ, at least someone knows what I'm saying,)" The grey tom mewed, letting out a whoop of relief, "(also, how do you know French?)" he asked.

The Russian shrugged, "(my mother forced me to take it, I ended up dropping it but kept in touch with a French pen pal I had during school, so I still know it,)" he elaborated.

"So, who are you?" The American asked.

"Coldpaw, or Ivan," Coldpaw introduced.

"Name's David," David stated, "he's Ethan, or Sunpaw or something," he said, pointing his tail at the gold cat.

"I can introduce myself, and my name's Evan you bloody Yankee," Evan hissed.

"tomato tomato, same thing," The tabby shrugged.

"Like fuck it is!" The ThunderClan tom yowled.

The two cats began to argue, yowling and throwing insults at each other. The two grey toms rolled their eyes. "(Ignore them, they've been like this all night,)" The French tom stated.

"(And you are?)" Coldpaw asked.

"(Lautrec, or Smokepaw, I'm not caring what you call me,)" Smokepaw shrugged.

"(Can I ask what you three are doing here?)" The RiverClan tom inquiried.

"(Our clan's leader, announced cats going the gathering, we weren't invited so we went to check it out, we met each other here, and the rest is history,)" the WindClan cat explained.

"(I could teach you English if you want,)" The Russian offered, "(it'll be extremely useful for you to know it,)".

Smokepaw smiled, "(Yeah, I think it would be for the best,)" he replied.

"(Okay, then meet me here every night and I'll teach you the best I can,)" The grey tom instructed.

After things between David and Evan had settled. They discussed their dream. It seemed all four had similarities. They had all been human, seen the same cat, taken to a place personal to them, met their murderer, and a cat from their clan with strange eyes told them to look to the sky. All four left out that their 'gifts' were involved, each believing they would be rejected by the others for their abnormal abilities.

"This can't be a coincidence," Sunpaw stated, "it's awfully similar,"

"Ya think? And who the hell's midnight?" The brown tabby added.

"(maybe it's a place? I dunno,)" Smokepaw chimed in.

"Whatever it is, it has something to do with all of us and those other cats," The Russian concluded.

"We'll meet here next week and try to figure it out, then?" Sunpaw offered, "maybe we should ask the cats who were there if they know anything," he added.

"Sounds like a plan," Coldpaw commented.

David padded off, "yeah, I'll make sure to ask Tawn, see you assholes later," he called over his shoulder.

"Cheerio lads," Sunpaw bidded farewell, heading for ThunderClan territory.

"(I think I'll take those English lessons now so I can talk to Crowpaw,)" Smokepaw stated. Coldpaw then immediately began to teach the WindClan cat what he knew.

And with that, all the pieces to the puzzle were beginning to fall into place.


	6. Chapter 6

Smokepaw padded out of the apprentice den, yawning and stretching. He looked to the sky and saw that the sun was just coming up on midday. The grey tom felt confusion course through him. Shouldn't have Webfoot woke him up for training? The grey tom shrugged his shoulders, he guessed he has the day off.

He picked a rabbit from the fresh-kill pile, sitting outside the apprentice's den. Smokepaw went over today's agenda: first off, he would need to ask Crowpaw if he knew anything about receiving a dream or if he knew who or what midnight was. Normally, this would be a problem because of the language barrier. But thanks to Ivan, he knew enough English to at least ask him. Albeit, with a thick French accent and broken English.

Next, he should report it to Tallstar and Barkface, in case he had to leave WindClan territory to find midnight. That way, he couldn't be accused of desertion. He was greatful to Tallstar for the opportunity to join the clan, even if he never showed it.

He began to eat his rabbit. But past the week had made him miss stuff like fast-food or just cooked food in general. Honestly, he would kill for a streak or some chips right now. The thought made him drool. After devouring his rabbit, Crowpaw padded past.

"Hey, Smokepaw," The smokey grey tom greeted.

"Hi, Crowpaw," The metahuman replied, his French accent was incredibly thick. He just hoped it was understandable.

Crowpaw's jaw dropped. "Since when could you speak... non-gibberish?" He asked.

Smokepaw paused for a second, thinking how to structure his next sentence. As dumb as it sounded to anyone who only spoke one language, he had to translate what he wanted to say from French to English mentally. Easy for someone like Ivan, who was trilingual even though his pronunciation of the French language was garbage.

"I into learn from friend," Smokepaw explained.

The apprentice tried to stifle a laugh, "I get that it's not what you normally speak, but that was bad,"

"I only learn last night," The grey tom grumbled, "(I'd like to see you try and speak French, Rosbif,)" he added in French, purposely attempting to confuse his friend.

Crowpaw rolled his eyes, "You take offence too easily," he commented, "I was joking with you," he added.

The Frenchman ignored the comment, "I have question to ask," he said.

"Hm? What is it then?" The WindClan cat responded.

Again, Smokepaw had to think carefully about his sentence structure. "Have you had strange dream?" He inquired.

Crowpaw froze, "...how'd you know?" he questioned after a brief silence. The grey tom tried to explain to him the dream- it's not easy when you just learned English the day before-and left out parts involving his powers, being human, his death, and the place he was taken that were personal to him.

Mostly because it would seem crazy to him. WindClan didn't like humans- or twolegs -too much. Few cats actually liked him, the last thing he needed was to pile reason upon reasons to justify it.

"I think we should talk about this in private," The smokey grey tom stated, getting up and began to pad out of camp, "follow me," he muttered. Smokepaw followed him closely, walking through the windy moor WindClan called home. They came upon a fox hole.

They entered the old fox den. It was dark and claustrophobic, didn't help that Smokepaw and Crowpaw were pressing against each other. "Yes, I received a dream from StarClan," he stated, a serious look in his blue eyes the grey tom had never seen before, "I was told the forest will be destroyed, and I- we, need to find midnight before that happens," he finished.

"Do know Midnight is?" Smokepaw asked, shifting uncomfortably in what little personal space he had.

The apprentice shook his head, "no," he stated simply, "but there's three other cats who had the same dream as us-"

"Coldpaw, Sunpaw, and David," The metahuman finished. He wasn't aware that the other three had told Crowpaw. Neither of them, except Ivan, attended the gathering Crowpaw was at.

A look of puzzlement morphed into Crowpaw's face, "no, Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, and Feathertail," he corrected, "but those three too, I guess," he muttered. "We're all going to meet on a new moon, so next quarter-moon," the smokey grey tom told Smokepaw.

"(Okay,)" Smokepaw mewed, nodding his head. They exited the fox hole. Immediately, the grey tom stretched, happy to be out of the claustrophobic space. He turned to his friend, "I go talk to-"

"-don't tell anyone," Crowpaw snapped, "it's between us eight,"

Smokepaw huffed, (what's the matter? Scared you'll need a babysitter? I'm still telling Tallstar by the way,)". His friend ignored him, unable to understand, and signalled him to follow him. The metahuman followed reluctantly. He had a feeling that the dream meant something big, but looks like he was about to have an adventure of a lifetime.

...

Sparkpaw padded into camp, following Blackstar closely. His muscles ached from being thrown around by his mentor. They had been battle training with the other apprentices, which he kicked every single one of their asses.

So Blackstar then decided that he should have to fight with a cat who could match his skill. It was like a scrawny kid versus Mike Tyson because he got beaten into the ground and made to eat the dirt.

"Next time, could you not throw me around like I'm a fuckin' ragdoll?" David grumbled, completely sore and aching whilst he moved.

"You're not going to get treated any better in a real fight," Blackstar retorted.

"Yeah, but you're older and bigger than me, c'mon you know that wasn't fair," the brown tabby whined. It was unfair. Blackstar had a lot more experience than him, and was twice as big. This wasn't the first time he had done battle training, but it was the first Blackstar decided he should fight a warrior.

David could fight, and he knew it, the other apprentices and warriors knew it too. But he was sure that the ShadowClan leader just wanted to slap him around for being mouthy.

"Now you know how Smokepaw feels," The white cat told him.

The ex-rouge looked towards the medicine den, watching as the apprentice limped into the den as Littlecloud asked what happened.

"Ain't my fault he's got a glass jaw," Sparkpaw shrugged.

The ShadowClan leader sighed. _Hypocrite,_ he growled in his mind. "Go get some prey, we'll continue training later," he stated, padding off.

The apprentice immediately took the opportunity to try and find Tawnypelt. He told the guys last night he would talk to her about the dream/nightmare/whatever it was he had. David searched the camp for her, yet he was unable to find her.

The tawny-furred she-cat had become his aquaintence after a day, deciding to give him a chance despite his hostile and rebellious attitude. She became pleasantly surprised to find that he was laid back and fairly nice to the cats he actually likes.

David had been accused and teased about liking her. But it was a load of crap. "C'mon, that's just... just.. just no, okay?" had been his response every single time.

 _Guess she's out hunting, better ask though_ he thought to himself. David looked around, searching for a cat to ask, only to find Rowanclaw picking out something from the fresh-kill pile. David checked a second time, only to feel disappointed when he found that the ginger tom was the only one there.

"You fuckin' serious?," the tabby growled in annoyance, "hey, Rowanclaw, you know where Tawnypelt is?" He asked.

"Yes, what do you need her for? To tell her how you really feel?" Rowanclaw spat, trying to wind the ex-rouge up.

"I'm good, I've already got your mom." David hissed as he shoved past the ginger tom. A smirk adorned his face as he heard the warrior glower at him.

The tom walked through ShadowClan territory, looking and listening for any sign of the tawny she-cat. He found her stalking a mouse, the she-cat's back to him. He felt his muscles loosen up at the sight of her; a familiar face who didn't hate him.

"Hey, Tawny, need to ask you somethin'," The ShadowClan apprentice called.

Tawnypelt jumped, the mouse she was hunting scurried away into a bush. The she-cat turned to face him, glaring. "I would have had that it!" She yowled.

David shrugged, "you'll find another one, no big deal," he replied nonchalantly.

"No big deal?" Tawnypelt echoed, "Sparkpaw, we're starving and we need all the prey we can get!"

"David," he corrected, "and I need to talk to 'bout something important,"

"What?" The ShadowClan warrior sighed. Her tail lashed back and fourth behind her.

"You had a strange dream recently?" The tabby asked.

Tawnypelt paused for a second, taken aback by the question. "...No," she answered.

"You're shit at lying," The tabby stated, "look, I think I had the same dream as you," he said, "we both need to look for Midnight, don't we?" he asked.

She nodded, "what did you see?" Tawnypelt inquired.

David told her about his dream, yet he left out that he was human, getting taunted about his death, his school, etc. For his own sake. The tabby wasn't the smartest person on the planet, but even he knew how badly those details would go over.

"Wait, a tabby covered in scars..." Tawnypelt drifted off.

"Yeah, that guy was an-"

"Tigerstar! That was Tigerstar!" she yowled urgently. David opened his mouth to ask who that was and what's so bad about him, only to be cut off again. "Whatever you do, _don't_ listen to him, I'm begging you!" She pleaded.

"Okay, calm the fuck down," The metahuman responded, "who the hell's Tigerstar, anyway?" he asked.

Tawnypelt told him everything. He learned Tigerstar had been her father and an overly ambitious cat in life, trying to rule over all four clans and getting desperate enough to ask the cats he hated the most for help. His desperation got him killed however. Truthfully, David wasn't impressed. Tigerstar sounded like a villain out of a kids show.

"Yeah, whatever, just tell about your dream already," The tabby urged, getting impatient with his friend.

The she-cat opened her mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by Blackstar as burst into the clearing they sat in. "Sparkpaw!" The white tom roared, "Did I give you permission to leave camp?" he asked.

"But I-"

"-I don't want to hear it!" Blackstar snarled, "you're coming back to camp with me, and you're going to check the elders for ticks for the next moon," he ordered.

Sparkpaw's jaw dropped, "fine." he glowered. He stalked off back to camp. Although, it wasn't too bad, he knew that Tawnypelt had had the same dream as him now and should tell her to meet him and the guys next week by the river.

Until then, he had to babysit some old people.

...

"No, I'm not eating the mouse," Sunpaw stated.

"Don't be a kit, it tastes good," Squirrelpaw teased though a mouthful of blackbird feathers.

"It tastes good," the metahuman mimicked, "I don't care, it's a bloody rodent!" He whined. The tom was pretty pissed. Squirrelpaw had taken the last blackbird, even though she was fully aware how much he hated the rodents that made up most of the fresh-kill pile.

The ginger she-cat just laughed at him, "well tough, because I'm having the blackbird,".

The golden cat just huffed in response, "I'm off to talk to Leafpaw," he stated, stalking off. He entered the medicine den, noting that Leafpaw was alone. Cinderpelt must have been out for herbs.

"Leafpaw," The Brit called, "I need to talk with you,".

The brown tabby turned to him, "what's the matter?" she asked, concern and curiosity in her amber eyes.

"I had a weird dream, and I think it was from StarClan," Sunpaw stated.

He had Leafpaw's curiosity before, now he had her attention, "tell me," the medicine cat apprentice responded.

The metahuman gave her a basic rundown of his dream, leaving out the parts the would make him seem crazy or less than normal. So he left out that he was human, his death, powers, and his murderer.

Humans weren't well received here and neither was he. Last thing he needed to do was justify everyone being a prick to him.

"I don't know..." Leafpaw muttered, "I'll need to talk to Cinderpelt," she stated.

Sunpaw nodded his head, "and what about the bit with Brambleclaw?" he asked. Honestly, that part didn't make sense at all. Why him of all cats?

Leafpaw just shrugged, "I'm not sure, maybe you should ask him, he could have had the same dream," she offered.

"Oh shit, forgot to talk to him," the tom muttered to himself, "alright, sure, I'll have a chat with him," he replied.

Sunpaw went to pad out of the medicine den, but was stopped by his friend. "Before you go, can I ask you something?" She inquired, her tail swayed softly behind her.

"Um, sure," Sunpaw responded.

"I wanted to ask you if you, um, were doing anything later?" she asked shyly.

The tom gave her a small smile. She was bloody cute when she acted shy. "No, did you have something in mind?" He replied.

"Really? I-I mean, could you meet me at The, um, Owl Tree?" Leafpaw questioned, there was excitement and relief in her eyes.

"Right, I'll see you there," He stated, padding out the medicine den. The apprentice pondered briefly if Leafpaw liked him, as in liked him more than a friend. But he brushed it off. _She's cooped up in the den everyday, she just wants a night off_ Sunpaw reasoned with himself. Besides, it was against the code, even if the rule was daft as all hell.

It wouldn't be the first time he had been wrong about such accusations. One time he thought a girl liked him, turned out he was wrong and his friends didn't stop slagging him for it for about a month. The Brit cringed at the memory.

Sunpaw scanned the camp, looking for Brambleclaw. He found the brown tabby talking to Firestar. He approached the ThunderClan warrior after Firestar had walked away.

"Brambleclaw?" Sunpaw mewed.

The tom turned to him, "hm? What's the matter?" he asked.

"I need to speak with you," the golden cat stated, "in private," he added.

Brambleclaw nodded and signalled the apprentice to follow him. They walked through ThunderClan territory in silence. After they were far enough from camp, Brambleclaw turned to him.

"What is it you wanted to tell me?" The tabby asked.

Sunpaw told him everything he told Leafpaw. Brambleclaw went into deep thought, he suddenly paled, "that was Tigerstar," he stated, almost like he was in a trance-like state.

"What?" Sunpaw said, confused at the sudden change in the warrior.

"That was Tigerstar in your dream," Brambleclaw repeated, sounding urgent. The apprentice opened his mouth to ask who that was, only to be bowled over by the warrior, "If you've been working with Tigerstar I swear I'll-"

"-I haven't! I don't even know who he his!" The metahuman squeaked, his blue eyes wide with fear. Brambleclaw glared at him, deciding if Sunpaw was telling the truth or if he was lying through his teeth.

The tabby slunk back, allowing the apprentice to get up, "Look, whatever he told you to do, just don't do it. You're going to regret it if you do," he muttered.

"I-I don't even know what he wants, he just told me to look for-"

"-midnight?" Brambleclaw finished.

Sunpaw nodded shakily, "you've been told to look for midnight too, eh?"

"I was visited by the old ThunderClan leader, Bluestar," The tabby stated, "she told be the forest is about to be destroyed, and we need to find midnight to stop it from happening," he told the tom.

Sunpaw immediately knew what he was talking about. A new highway was supposed to be getting constructed and looks like it was going straight through ThunderClan territory. Maybe this midnight was like him and had powers of some kind.

"Three other cats-"

"-Smokepaw, Coldpaw, and David. Yeah, I know," The apprentice interrupted.

Brambleclaw's eyes widened, "alright, make that six cats," he muttered, "we're going to meet on the next new moon, I'll get you when we need to meet them, okay?" he said, "but I've still got my eye on you, rouge," he mewed, leering at the tom.

Sunpaw just nodded in response. He turned and headed back to camp, Brambleclaw at his side. He had a feeling things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.

...

Coldpaw exited the medicine den, trying to put as little weight as possible on his right paw. He had been battle training with Hawkfrost and, long story short, he slipped and landed awkwardly on his right paw and sprained it.

But he ignored Mothwing's advice to rest. The Russian cat refused to miss a single day of training. He had just barely made it into RiverClan and he doubted anyone would appreciate him just lying around.

His parents and his babushka had been the same. It didn't matter what the weather was, he wasn't allowed to just do nothing. "(Ivan, why are you lying around? Go outside with your friends,)" this and "(I don't care if none of your friends are home! Just go outside!)" that.

A wrenching feeling of home-sickness coursed through him. The grey tom missed his family dearly, every single one of them. His mother, his father, his babushka, his cousins. Although, he wondered if even she missed-

- _(No! You've both moved on!)_ Coldpaw told himself, shaking his head, _(It just wasn't working, it's nobody's fault)_. A somber feeling replaced the one of home-sickness. His throat began to clench up, just like it did whenever he was upset.

The metahuman breathed deeply, calming himself and stuffing those thoughts into a dark corner of his mind. It was in the past, and that's where it should stay. He padded over to the fresh-kill pile, picking up a water vole. As nice as fish was, he was getting sick of it.

After devouring his water vole, Feathertail walked by. Immediately, he remembered that he had to ask the silver she-cat about the dream. "Hello, Feathertail," Coldpaw greeted.

"Hi, Coldpaw," the she-cat greeted, "how's training?" she asked.

"Good," he responded, "are you busy right now? I need to talk with you,"

"No. What's the matter?" Feathertail inquired.

"We can't talk here," the grey tom stated, "let's find somewhere private," he told her, getting up and signalling her to follow him.

The pair walked by the river, getting far enough away from RiverClan camp so that it would be a very small chance for anyone to disturb them.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" The silver she-cat asked.

"I wanted to ask if you have received a strange dream recently," Coldpaw responded.

Feathertail nodded her head, "The forest is going to be destroyed, and I need to find midnight before it can happen,"

"Same for me," The Russian replied, "there's three other cats who had the same dream; Sunpaw, Smokepaw, and David. We're going to meet by the river next quarter-moon to discuss it," he told her.

The RiverClan warrior's blue eyes lit up in surprise, "I thought only Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, and Crowpaw had the dream," she muttered.

"(you're kidding me)" Coldpaw hissed to himself, "okay, those three as well, but the others are supposed to be asking them about it," he told Feathertail.

"We're meeting at The Four-Trees, tell them when you see them again," Feathertail ordered, she turned away, "let's get back to camp," she called over her shoulder.

The Russian followed behind the warrior. A feeling of dread was building in his stomach. This was big, but _much_ bigger than he anticipated. He could only hope that whatever happened, that they would all be left unscathed.


	7. Chapter 7

Sunpaw lay in his nest, half conscious. He had never been a heavy sleeper. When he was younger, he couldn't get to sleep if it was a little warmer or colder than usual. Slight creaks made by the house settling would make him jolt upwards from his chosen resting position.

The young cat felt a paw prod at his stomach. Instantly, he was wide awake and opened his blue eyes. A brown tabby paw had been poking him, he followed it to it's owner. Brambleclaw.

"Brambleclaw? Och, what is it?" The gold tom groaned.

"We're meeting the others tonight, remember?" The tabby reminded.

"Bugger, so we are," Sunpaw grunted as he stood up, "well, are we going or what?" he urged.

Brambleclaw signalled him to follow, taking great care not to step on any of the other apprentices. The metahuman clumsily followed but accidentally stepping on Squirrelpaw's tail, making her yelp softly in her sleep. The apprentice didn't stick around long enough to find out if he woke her from her slumber.

Sunpaw caught up with Brambleclaw outside of camp. They walked in silence under the glowing, pale moon. That message run through the apprentice's head once again, _seek midnight_. He prayed to StarClan/God/whatever deity that sent him here that they would come to a sensible conclusion.

"Smooth moves with Brightheart yesterday," Brambleclaw said suddenly, sarcasm dripping from each word spoken.

"I already feel like a tosser, do you need to rub it in?" The Briton sighed in response. Brightheart was a bit like Cinderpelt in the way he felt awful for her. But while Cinderpelt's injury was easier to ignore, looking at the right side of Brightheart's face was like a train wreck because he couldn't stop looking.

"Sunpaw, are you okay? You're staring at me," Brightheart had asked him.

The apprentice had torn his gaze from the scarred half of her face. He could see in her emerald green eye she was deeply hurt. Sunpaw immediately began to panic, "Sorry, I was just staring at..." he had just made the situation worse. _For the love of God, don't say her face!_ _,_ He thought to himself, "...you because you're, well, beautiful," finished. The apprentice immediately blushed a deep red. That's not what he wanted to say.

That wasn't true. At all. He was just trying to not look like an arse by making making an arse of himself instead. Now, the whole of ThunderClan thinks he facies Brightheart. Fucking brilliant. And somethings been up with Leafpaw as well, she wouldn't tell him why though.

"You better think before you speak next time, love bird," The ThunderClan warrior told him.

"Oh, fuck off. I don't love her, it just slipped out when I was trying to not look like a massive prick!" He snapped in protest, his face heating up as he did so.

"Whatever you say," The brow tabby shrugged, rolling his amber eyes.

"I'm serious!" The tom huffed.

The pair walked in silence. Sunpaw wondered if the others had talked to who they saw in their dreams. He had a feeling Ivan did, the RiverClan apprentice seemed very concerned about it when they talked for the first time.

He wasn't sure if David has, but he had doubts. To him, the ShadowClan cat was the kind of person to just forget to ask and just shrug his shoulders when asked about it.

Lautrec was out of the question. The Frenchman couldn't speak English, how the hell was he supposed to talk to the cat he saw in his dream? Ivan had acted as his translator on the night they met. He doubted the Russian had followed him to WindClan just to translate what he said.

Suddenly, the bushes behind them russled followed by a thud. Both cats turned to face the interloper, only to see Squirrelpaw.

"Squirrelpaw, what are you doing out of camp? You know apprentices aren't allowed out of camp without permission, let alone at night!" Brambleclaw demanded.

"I wanted to see where you were going," Squirrelpaw stated, "and you can blame Mr. Romantic over here for waking me up," mentioning over to Sunpaw, who just muttered curses.

"Okay, now get back to camp," Brambleclaw ordered, turning to head for their destination.

"Nuh-uh, I'm coming with you," The ginger she-cat spat stubbornly, her green eyes glaring. She immediately reminded him of Kelly, who was stubborn as a mule at times. He felt pangs of loss and longing thinking about his girlfriend. Well, his ex-girlfriend now he supposed.

Brambleclaw glared that the second apprentice, but he knew she wouldn't budge until she got what she wanted. "Fine." He growled.

Squirrlepaw's face gained a look of smug satisfaction, and the trio set out for the Four-Trees. That was the worst walk in the Brit's life. Squirrelpaw would not stop teasing him about Brightheart, even after he told her he was just trying to make her feel better.

They eventually reached the Four-Trees, after what felt like a decade to Sunpaw. All three sat in silence. Sunpaw looked towards they sky, he guessed by the position of the moon that it was half eleven.

It felt wrong to not know how to tell the time here, so he learned by using his shadow as a clock and looked at the sun to get a gauge of when an hour was, same with the moon. Less he risked losing track of days, weeks, moons-no months. He sighed inwardly, he had only been here a week and he was already using their slang.

They chatted amongst each other, waiting until the others arrived. The first to arrive was David, who looked exhausted, and Tawnypelt. Then came Ivan, Feathertail, and Stormfur. Last to arrive was Lautrec and Crowpaw.

The metahumans went first. Telling their tale about the peculiar dream. After hearing about the dark tabby in their dream, Brambleclaw leered in suspicion at them, only to catch eyes with David.

"Keep staring at me like that and I'll wipe that dumb look of your face," The ShadowClan apprentice glowered.

"Try it, rouge," Brambleclaw spat in response. He wouldn't be threatened by an apprentice, like alone some rouge. The metahuman stepped forward, snarling, and he swear he head what sounded like lightning. But Tawnypelt defused the situation before it could escalate.

The others talked about their dream (except Squirrelpaw and Stormfur) , and it was immediately found that there was a divide between the ex-rouges and the born clan cats. "Maybe it's because they don't have ancestors in StarClan, so they had a different dream?" Feathertail chimed in. Smokepaw nodded his head in agreement.

"Since when did StarClan like rouges and loners?" Squirrelpaw commented.

"Okay, who invited the kit?" Crowpaw sneered, referring to Squirrelpaw.

"Look, it's a talking rat," she retorted.

David snorted in laughter, "fight fight fight!" he chanted.

"Don't encourage them," Stormfur scolded.

"What are you? My mom? Go fuck yourself ya dunce," The brown tabby sneared in response. Stormfur began to argue with the apprentice, both yowling over each other.

While they were arguing, Crowpaw glowered at Squirrelpaw before he lept for her, only to be stopped by Coldpaw. "We don't need more fighting," he mewed, dragging the WindClan apprentice.

Squirrelpaw stuck her tongue out, enraging Crowpaw. "You know what? I'm leaving," he hissed, stalking off to WindClan territory.

"Crowpaw!" Feathertail called out, chasing after the WindClan apprentice. Smokepaw followed behind her.

"Dude, he likes her," David commented to Sunpaw, "fuckin' weirdo,"

"You think? This is the first time they've met, so I don't think so," the gold tom shook his head.

"Kind of like you and Brightheart," Squirrelpaw chimed in, making Sunpaw's face burn with embarrassment as he glared at her.

"What? Dude, c'mon! You're better than this!" David scolded whilst laughing.

"I don't! I just said that because I made her upset!" The Briton squeaked, "even if I did, what's wrong with liking someone in my clan?"

David rolled his blue eyes, "she's a cat, that's the problem," he explained.

"We're cats too, you bloody spoon!" Sunpaw retorted.

"But, it's just gross, y'know?" The American replied.

"Can you two shut up?" Ivan hissed, "We're supposed to be talking about what midnight is!" his grey tail swung behind him in irritation and impatience.

Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt nodded, "finally, a loner with common sense!" The she-cat stated. Then, the other three returned. They discussed what midnight could be, but none could decide what it was.

"Maybe we need to wait until midnight and something happens?" Brambleclaw offered.

"I don't think so," Smokepaw argued, whose English had improved greatly in the past week, "Feathertail's right, midnight must be a place,"

"C'mon, are you fucking stupid? Midnight's a cat," David brushed the theory off. Sunpaw and Squirrelpaw nodded in agreement.

"I think we should go with Brambleclaw's idea for tonight, we would need to leave the clans for the other theories," The RiverClan apprentice reasoned.

"It's a dumb idea," The ShadowClan apprentice spat. But he was ignored and they watched the moon for several seconds, noticing it was coming up on midnight. They sat and stared in silence.

Sparkpaw nudged the golden tom on his right, "watch this," he said, "Yeah, I think you're right, Feathertail, we definitely need to go to the moon to find Midnight," he mewed loudly and clearly.

Without even thinking, Lautrec immediately agreed. Only to realise that the American was making a fool of him, he glared as the other metahuman snickered.

The moon now hung over them at midnight, it's pale glow illuminating them in a faint silver light. They waited.

And they waited.

And nothing happened.

"We'll try next moon then," Stormfur sighed, he bidded farewell and headed to RiverClan camp with his sister in tow.

The other three left soon thereafter, leaving the metahumans alone. Lautrec sat, still glaring at David. "Yo, Lautrec. Do you like Feathertail?" The ShadowClan warrior asked.

"What? N-no, of course not!" He replied. His face went a deep scarlet as his ears burned from embarrassment.

"Ooh, yeah you do!" Sparkpaw teased, "you've been brown-nosing her all night, it's obvious that you like her,"

"Shut up! She had a lot of good points!" The grey tom protested, his ears now folding against his head.

"Aw, it's love at first sight!" Evan cooed jokingly.

Ivan just chuckled, "leave him alone," he scolded, yet amusement glinted in his eyes. "We should get back before our clans realise we're gone," the Russian added.

The four bidded farewell and departed. Lautrec and Ivan walking together and Evan and David went together.

Their journey was quiet, only the wind, rustling of leaves, and other nightly sounds. Until the brown tabby decided to start a conversation.

"So, what happened between you and Brightheart?" He asked.

Sunpaw just groaned.


	8. Chapter 8

Ivan's senses came back to him, making him once again aware of his surroundings. He was cold, the Russian felt that he was floating yet simultaneously he felt heavy as stone. His lips tasted like salt. The metahuman felt larger too. He must be human again.

He slowly opened his eyes to see he was surrounded by murky blue water. The situation he was in suddenly sank in and he thrashed in panic towards the surface. Ivan emerged, gasping for air.

He turned frantically, hoping to see dry land to swim to. Only to see more water that stretched across the horizon. Ivan turned behind him and found a cliff face, there was a fair distance between them but he could see there was loose rock he could use to grapple.

Ivan wasted no time in rushing for the cliff face. His arms began to burn and his body ached, every muscle pleading for rest. He ignored his aches and pains and forced himself to keep going. It was sink or swim, and he wasn't going to sink to the depths.

He reached the cliff and scrambled for grip. His efforts paid off and he began to clamber onto dry land. After he got halfway, his clothes dripping, something wrapped around his left leg.

The Russian paled, looking down he found what had gripped his leg. A single, shadow-like, tendril. A second limb leaped from the depths and grasped his neck. Ivan choked as he was dragged back into the cold sea.

The tendrils dragged him further down into the murky sea as he struggled. The shadowy limbs began to constrict around his throat. He gasped only to have salty water fill his lungs.

Ivan vision began to blur as the dark appeared in the corners of his eyes. This was it. He would die a second time and something told him he wouldn't wake up. Not this time. He stopped resisting, accepting that it was nothing but futile struggle.

Suddenly, a hand gripped his shirt. The shadows wrapped around Ivan's throat dissipated as his saviour began to pull him from the frigid depths. He resurfaced and was hoisted onto land. He gasped and coughed for air, noticing how beautiful the night sky was with the pale moon looming over him.

Ivan never saw a night sky so gorgeous before. He could clearly see every star, and even the Milky Way Galaxy.

"(Ivan! Ivan! Are you okay? Speak to me!)" A feminine voice pleaded frantically. He knew that voice.

"(S-sasha?)" Ivan wheezed. He propped himself up, and came face to face with a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes like diamonds, wearing her favourite black jacket, blue jeans, and a nice white shirt that showed the New York City skyline.

This was Sasha Belinski; his ex-wife. They were divorced, but not because she cheated or because he had an affair. They were both faithful to each other when they were together. They could never spend time with each other due to their jobs, she was a nurse and he was an engineer, and the spark just... disappeared.

Didn't help they married young at the tender age of eighteen. He felt that it was his fault. All of it. He proposed to her at a young age, he decided to pursue a career that forced him to spend months on an oil refinery. It was his fault there was nothing between them now.

The Russian was heartbroken when Sasha told him she wanted a divorce when they were twenty. But he went through with it, for her. Even after the divorce, a part of him still loved her dearly. After that heart wrenching experience, he refused to enter another relationship. He couldn't bare to go through that type of pain again.

"(Ivan. We thought you were gone! You had us so worried!)" his ex-wife exclaimed, tearing up.

Ivan brought her into an embrace, "(I promise that I will never leave you ever again,)" he promised, choking back tears. It was useless, however, as he began to sob in happiness. He was home again.

They stayed in their embrace, arm wrapped around each other. Sobs of happiness the only sound they made. "(Sasha?)" The metahuman croaked.

"(Yes?)" Sasha replied, beginning to calm down.

"(Does... does a part of you still love me?)" He asked his ex. He just needed to know, even if the answer was no.

"(Honey, I-)" Sasha was interrupted by a bitter wind and a biting cold that swept by them. Followed by a violent snow storm. The snow battered them both as the wind sounded like the war cries of ghosts.

The Russian woman seemed to become thinner in Ivan's arms. He gazed at her, fearing what was happening to her. His ex-wife, the women he still partially love, was now nothing than a skeleton with a layer of frost coating it.

The remains fell through his arms. "(No...)" was all the metahuman could mutter, barely audible. He knew it wasn't real, but it still haunted him in that moment.

Suddenly, Sasha's skeleton rose from it's position on the snowy ground, looming over him. Ivan wanted to run, but he remained paralysed in terror. It held his face with it boney hands, he flinched at the touch.

The remains moved in close, almost as if for a kiss. _"Seek midnight, seek where the sun drowns"_ It whispered to him.

Coldpaw jolted awake in a cold sweat, gasping for air. It had been a dream. His throat began to clench as his heart sank to his stomach. He attempted to stuff thought of her into a corner of his mind, yet they still lingered.

But he knew where midnight was; where the sun drowns. A burning determination rose from his grief for his ex-wife. Midnight would be found, or he would die trying. He had to tell Feathertail.

The grey tom padded out of the apprentice den, each stride he took with purpose. The Russian found the silver she-cat sitting by the fresh-kill pile, a fish in her paws.

"Morning, Feathertail," Coldpaw greeted.

"Good morning, Coldpaw," Feathertail greeted before getting ready to take the first bite out of her breakfast.

"I think I know where midnight is," The apprentice stated.

The RiverClan warrior paused, "where?" she asked, a look of seriousness filled her blue eyes.

"By the ocean," Coldpaw stated simply, resolve in his eyes. He wanted answers only Midnight knew to the questions he had.


	9. Chapter 9

Sunpaw padded out of the apprentice den. A lot had happened in the last few days; the original four cats with the dream had increased to eight. An ex-warrior of ThunderClan had shown up, Ravenpaw, warning them of twoleg activity.

The Brightheart thing had calmed down somewhat. The clan had been made aware that he didn't like her in the way they thought he did and that he said it to make her feel better about him staring at her.

But, of course, Squirrelpaw wasn't letting up. Leafpaw was still acting off as well, she talked quieter and was giving short one-word answers to anything he asked. That, and she would suddenly remember she had something to do, even when she wasn't doing anything previously. Honestly, he was worried about her.

But he was shaken up from that dream, a different one this time. It involved midnight again, but this was something else. Drowning, climbing, being strangled and pulled into the sea by pitch-black arms, only to be pulled out by Kelly.

It had been her. It really had been. She kissed him like it was the last time they would ever see each other. Kelly told him to never disappear like that ever again, and he promised her through his laughing and crying. He was home again.

The Brit shook his head, he didn't want to remember the rest. The gold tom sighed, heading for the fresh-kill pile. He decided to have a squirrel for breakfast. After a week of nothing but blackbird, he wanted a bit of a change.

Greystripe approached him whilst he was eating. "You're up early," the ThunderClan tom commented. Sunpaw just nodded in agreement with his mentor, he wasn't in the mood for talking.

"We'll be hunting later and doing some battle training after you're finished," his mentor told him. Sunpaw just nodded.

"You feeling okay?" Greystripe asked, noting his normally talkative apprentice's sudden introversive attitude.

"Fine, I'm just tired," the apprentice lied. He really didn't like training at all, it was just getting thrashed about or chasing some rodent. By the end of the day he was knackered. He tried his best of course, but his best didn't seem to be enough for Greystripe.

"You did good, but let's try and catch another piece of prey next time," he would say after they returned from a hunt. Or "Try and finish the fight a little quicker next time; you're not going to to have enough time for dilly dallying in a real fight," anytime he won.

Sunpaw knew his mentor just wanted him to go that extra mile so that he was more liked by the clan. But he felt undermined by Greystripe's requests. After he finished his meal, the pair set off to hunt.

The pair hunted for about an hour, but their efforts went unrewarded. Sunpaw eventually wandered off for a bit, coming upon the road - or the thunderpath as the clans called it. He stared out onto the moorland ShadowClan inhabited, briefly tempted to nick some prey from them but he decided against it. Simply because he didn't want the clan or Greystripe thinking ill of him.

Suddenly, a brown and white tabby came into view. They approached him and he soon realised it was David.

"Hey, Evan," The American called from his territory.

"Alright, David," Sunpaw replied.

David quickly checked behind him, looking to see if anyone was there. Satisfied, he turned back towards the ThunderClan apprentice, "I think I know where midnight is," the tabby stated.

The Brit's ears pricked up, "where then?" he questioned.

"By the ocean," The ShadowClan apprentice replied.

"And how the bloody hell are supposed to get there?" The golden tom challenged.

"Dude, the UK's an island; we'll just walk there," The tabby stated.

"Just walk there?!" Sunpaw repeated, "Every country part of the UK has a coastline, so where the fuck are we supposed to go?!" He yowled.

David just shrugged, "just letting you know," he began to walk off, but before he left he turned to his friend, "oh, and talk to me like that again I'll kick your ass," he threatened.

Sunpaw just rolled his eyes. Poor git didn't understand that he would be bringing fists- or claws, rather- to a firefight. It would be like a scrawny kid vs Mike Tyson.

The Brit padded off, returning to hunting. After a couple of hours, he had only caught a scrawny mouse and blackbird. He felt dread creep into his soul as he approached Greystripe. Was a famine about to start? Or were they in the middle of it?

Greystripe held look both worry and disappointment with his apprentice's catches, "looks like prey's getting more scarce." he commented. The headed back to camp, both parties remaining silent.

"Things calm down with Brightheart?" The mentor questioned.

"Um, yeah," Sunpaw replied.

"I know you were just trying to be nice, but watch what you're saying next time," Greystripe responded, "you could end up landing yourself in a lot of trouble," he added. Sunpaw felt that last quip was coming from experience.

"I know," The apprentice muttered.

"So, have you been making friends?" Greystripe suddenly asked, changing the subject.

"Of course I have da-!" He stopped himself, was he really about to call Greystripe "Dad" there? "I've been talking with Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw, and Shrewpaw haven't I?" Sunpaw stated.

"Just wanted to know, seeing as you're about as charming as a badger's backside," The mentor retorted, cuffing his apprentice playfully over the ear.

"Bugger off," Sunpaw glowered jokingly.

The pair returned to ThunderClan camp, leaving their kills in the fresh-kill pile. Sunpaw spotted Brambleclaw talking with Ravenpaw, deep in conversation. He wondered what they were talking about, but he just assumed the barn cat was catching up with what happened in his absence.

The apprentice would need to confront Leafpaw on her strange behaviour. He set off for the medicine den, seeing that both Cinderpelt and the brown tabby were present. "Cinderpelt, can I talk to Leafpaw for a minute?" The metahuman inquired.

"Sure, on you go" the grey she-cat responded. Sunpaw mentioned for Leafpaw to follow him, she did so reluctantly. After getting permission to leave camp and finding somewhere private, he turned to Leafpaw.

"Leafpaw, are you feeling okay?" Sunpaw inquiried, his blue eyes full of concern.

"I'm fine," She responded curtly, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're not talking to me much, and when you do you make excuses," The Brit retorted. Leafpaw went silent, shuffling her paws in the drit and avoiding his gaze.

"...You've been spending more time with my sister and Shrewpaw, I thought you didn't want to talk much anymore," Leafpaw replied quietly.

Sunpaw immediately regretted getting pushy with her, "Leafpaw, I couldn't imagine ditching you," he reassured. But a small part of him said it was a half-truth, yet he brushed it aside. Why would she need to lie to him? Besides, she was awful at it.

Leafpaw got close to him, placing her head on his shoulder in a fashion similar to a hug, "I'm sorry. I-I just don't get a chance to talk with the others and I-"

"-It's alright," The apprentice pardoned. He didn't dare move, hearing Leafpaw sniffle quietly over his shoulder. The golden tom placed a paw on the tabby's back to comfort her.

"Sunpaw?" A voice sounded. Leafpaw immediately flinched and pulled away. Sunpaw turned to the voice, finding Brambleclaw leering at him.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

The ThunderClan warrior said nothing, only mentioning to the apprentice to follow him. Sunpaw complied, "What's the matter?" he asked.

"I know where midnight is," The brown tabby stated.

"and where's that?" The apprentice asked, but he had a feeling he already knew. David had said by the ocean, so he had a hunch Brambleclaw was going to say the same thing. Or whatever the clans called the sea.

The warrior explained he had a dream that he was drowning in salty water. He talked to Ravenpaw and found that the place he dreamed about was real, and could be reached by walking towards the setting sun.

"But there's a few coasts on that side, how do you know it's that one specifically?" Sunpaw argued.

"We'll just have to trust Ravenpaw," Brambleclaw stated, "we're going to tell the others," he added, walking in the direction that lead to RiverClan territory, "also, don't get too attached to Leafpaw if you know what's good for you," he warned.

Sunpaw rolled his eyes, "there's nothing between us." he stated simply, following the warrior. Over the course of the next few days, they made the others aware of their plan to head for the ocean.

On the night before half-moon they met at the place the clans used for their gatherings. Squirrelpaw and Stormfur once again tagged along.

"So we're all prepared, yes?" Coldpaw asked.

"I don't know, we still haven't got milk for the kit," Crowpaw sneered.

"We haven't got cheese for the rat, either," David chimed in, causing Squirrelpaw to burst into hysterics. The smokey-grey apprentice glowered, leaping for the brown tabby. David smacked Crowpaw across the face, causing him to stumble.

"Oh, you wanna go, pipsqueak?" The ShadowClan apprentice asked, unsheathing his claws. But he was scolded by Feathertail before the fight could begin.

"We don't need to fight!" The silver cat protested, "how would your mentor react if they saw you attacking a cat for no good reason?" she asked.

"Pretty sure Blackstar would encourage me," David responded.

"Stop it! The three of you!" Brambleclaw snarled, "we're not going to get anything done with arguing!"

David rolled his eyes and stalked off to talk with Squirrelpaw. The pair seemed to connect easily, similar to how Lautrec and Feathertail had.

"I think we should get moving now," Feathertail urged.

Smokepaw nodded his head, "she's right, we're wasting moonlight," he commented. Sunpaw nudged him and winked, causing the Frenchman to glare in response. David sniggered at the two, "Yeah. It's not obvious at all, Laurence" he laughed.

"Lautrec," Smokepaw corrected.

"Same thing," The metahuman shrugged.

"I'll let you off, seeing as you're a tad slow," The WindClan apprentice retorted nonchalantly. The ShadowClan apprentice snorted, opening his mouth to make a comeback. But before he could, Ivan interrupted them.

"Okay, let's get moving," Coldpaw, whom had been in conversation with Stormfur, stated. They all began to move eastwards, embarking on their journey to find midnight.

The faint ghost of Tigerstar watched from a distance, a sinister gleam in his eyes. "That's it, seek power," the ex-leader purred, "and make the clans your own." he added, fading back into obscurity and into The Dark Forest.


	10. Chapter 10

Isaac, now Shade Underneath The Tree, watched as the sun set from his perch on the rock. The sky began to darken, taking the hues of pink, yellow, red, orange, and purple with it to rise somewhere else.

Things were different than what he was used to. Very different. The metahuman was now in the body of black cat, the usual green eyes accompanied the black fur. He wasn't too sure how he ended up in the body after being killed, even after Tigerstar had explained it. Something to do with souls, the black cat remembered.

He was now stuck with a group of cats calling themselves "The Tribe of Rushing Water" for the time being. It bothered him greatly, but not because he could only eat once a day or that he had to camouflage himself constantly -he was used to that, even before joining- but because he was stuck in one place. He hated that. It was too obvious where he was if someone was out for his blood.

Shade decided to head back to the cave, jumping down the rocks with grace and without hesitation in his movements. He reached the bottom and allowed himself to quickly exhale before going he began to pad for the cave, but not before unearthing the eagle he caught earlier. Another thing he didn't like; there was no real sense of urgency.

Of course, that would be disregarding the looming threat of the mountain lion that stalked the mountain, dubbed "Sharp Tooth" by the tribe. The tribe had sent cave-guards, their version of a soldier, to kill it. Every single one of them failed.

They could have sent Shade to deal with the feline and it would all be over. But he couldn't let them know what he was, or what he was capable of. The tom could remember the one and only time he ever did that. And look how that turned out...

Isaac shook his head, stuffing those memories into a dark corner of his mid. What good would remembering the past do? What happened can't be changed. He accepted that at the young age of six, now twenty one years later it suddenly bothered him. Why?

 _It's because I'm not occupied,_ The black cat answered his own question, walking into the Tribe's cave. He needed to train more, or do anything other than hunt birds until he was called upon by Tigerstar.

"Nice catch, Shade," Mist Where Sunlight Shimmers, a grey tabby she-cat, praised. She was considered to be the best prey-hunter in the Tribe. Shade had been made a prey-hunter as well due to his leaner build.

The black cat nodded his head respectfully. He wasn't one for much talk, it felt extremely awkward and alien to him. He padded towards the fresh-kill pile, placing the bird of prey onto it.

The tabby padded up to him again, "do you want to share some prey? I've not eaten today," she asked. The prey-hunter's stomach glowered in response, causing her to giggle at him.

Isaac cocked his head in confusion at the childish behaviour, yet he agreed to her invitation. The black cat picked the eagle he caught earlier, sitting down and beginning to eat. After they finished their meal, the tom stood and began to head for the bunk- no, nests. But he was stopped by Mist.

"Um, Shade, can I ask you something?" She mewed, growing quieter almost as if she was nervous or embarrassed.

"Go ahead," He responded curtly.

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to go hunting tomorrow with me?" Mist asked, shuffling her paws in the dirt.

"Sure." He stated, turning away without giving her time to respond. The black tom headed for his nest, curling up in it. A sudden wave of fatigue hit him and his eyelids drooped shut.

Shade felt cold, almost as if the temperature suddenly dipped. The ground underneath him felt like mud rather than stone. He opened his green eyes and saw that he was in the Dark Forest. Tigerstar needed him for something.

He walked to the small clearing with a boulder they had been meeting in. But it wasn't just him and Tigerstar like he would have preferred. Other cats, including Brokenstar, where there every time he was. Shade didn't like a single one of them, especially Brokenstar who had been responsible for the deaths of kits. Yet, he was shown respect from him because he was his superior (unfortunately).

The black cat cat's eyes caught Tigerstar's, causing him to stand to attention. Tigerstar approached him, "at ease," he mewed.

Shade's muscles immediately relaxed, "Tigerstar," he greeted, "what's the issue?" the tribe cat asked.

"We need to have a little chat, twoleg," Mapleshade glowered, stalking over to him.

"Mapleshade, We-" Tigerstar hissed, only to be cut off.

"-This is important!" The she-cat yowled. She turned to Shade, "remember who your loyalties lie with, twoleg. I know how that she-cat pads after you, turn your back on us and I'm going to use it to sharpen my claws," Mapleshade threatened.

The black cat raised an eyebrow, before he could respond Tigerstar interrupted them. "Interrupt me like that again and I'll skin you alive," The ex-ShadowClan leader snarled. Mapleshade glared at him, yet she backed away.

Satisfied, Tigerstar signalled Shade to follow him. They soon found themselves beside a murky river, a second brown tabby tom waiting for them. _Must be the fifth one_ , he thought to himself.

"Isaac, this is Hawkfrost, my son," Tigerstar introduced. Hawkfrost gave an uninterested wave of his tail. Shade concluded that the fifth one was with the others rather being his partner.

"The four are going on to seek Midnight," The Dark Forest cat stated, "which means, it will help them grow stronger," he purred, a type of sadistic anticipation in his voice.

"Permission to speak freely?" The black cat asked. Hawkfrost looked at him strangely, then muttered something about twolegs.

"What is it?" Tigerstar responded.

"I thought there was five of them. What happened to the other one?" He inquired.

Tigerstar sighed, "he was too eager for blood, and died before I could properly make a link between him and the Dark Forest," he glowered at the memory of the fifth metahuman, "Good riddance, I doubt that lump of mouse-bile would have listened to us anyway."

"What makes you think this Midnight is going to help Coldpaw and the others stronger anyhow?" The RiverClan cat chimed in.

"StarClan wants to find it to stop the destruction of their precious territory," The brown tabby mocked, venom in his voice, "if those spineless pieces of crow-food want it, then it _will_ make those four stronger," he added confidently

Tigerstar turned to Shade, "afterwards, get rid of it," he sneered.

"Consider it done," Shade stated, returning to his cold demeanour. He faded from the Dark Forest along with Hawkfrost, ready to walk in the waking world.

A crooked smile plastered Tigerstar's muzzle. Soon, he was have some of the most powerful twolegs serving him, and the forest would be his.


	11. Chapter 11

"Dude, what did I fuckin' tell you? It's the ocean," David leered.

"Alright, I get it! Just shut it already!" Sunpaw snapped, both out of irritation and frustration. Ever since they left for Midnight it had been one disaster after another.

Once David found out they were headed for the sea, he wouldn't stop talking with a "I told you so" tone. The ShadowClan apprentice had also been starting fights with Crowpaw, which got Feathertail and Stormfur involved into arguments with the tabby, and Lautec too because he was head over heels for her.

Squirrelpaw wouldn't stop asking if they were there yet like a toddler. Tawnypelt and Brambleclaw kept pestering everyone to get a move-on. The only cat who hadn't gotten on his nerves was Ivan, who looked like he was ready to turn each cat into a nice fur coat. The gold cat doubted they would even make it Midnight before they all started killing each other.

Soon the ten cats stood in front of a barn. The barn itself held the appearance of the stereotype, with red and white colours. Some of the paint had peeled away, revealing the coats of paint underneath.

A black and white cat, named Barley, and Ravenpaw, who left for home a few days ago, were there to welcome them. The barn cats ushered them in, allowing them to stay for the night.

"dibs on the top floor," David mewed, padding into barn. The rest followed him in and were greeted by hay bales. A ladder allowed for access to the top floor. The cats got comfortable with their surroundings while Coldpaw and Brambleclaw conversed with Ravenpaw about the sun-drown place.

The American looked around, bored. He turned to Squirrelpaw, "Think I heard a dog earlier, wanna go bug it?" he inquired.

"Sure," The ginger she-cat mewed. They both exited the barn and onto the farm land.

Sunpaw watched as they left, he nudged Smokepaw and made him aware of the two leaving apprentices. "Oh, so it's fine for him to do that? Hypocrite," The Frenchman huffed, "how can you stand him?"

"My friend's just like him," The Brit shrugged, he yawned soon afterwards, "bloody hell I'm tired," he yawned again, "I'm away to bed, see you later," he muttered. The ThunderClan apprentice scrambled up the ladder.

"Having trouble?" The grey tom asked, amused.

"This isn't easy, you know." Sunpaw grunted, finally reaching the top and disappearing out of sight.

"Smokepaw, is something wrong?" Feathertail asked.

"I'm fine, just watching to make sure Sunpaw didn't fall," The grey cat responded. He felt his cheeks faintly heat up and butterflies run rampant in his stomach.

"Aw, that's nice of you," The silver tabby purred, her tail swayed softly behind her.

The WindClan cat's heart skipped a beat, "It's nothing, I just think it's important we look out for each other, especially now that we're looking for Midnight," he brushed off.

"I think you're right," The RiverClan warrior mewed. She suddenly yawned, "I'm going to make a nest, good night, Smokepaw," she bidded farewell.

"Good night, Feathertail," The Frenchman replied, sighing longingly as she walked away. He didn't know why he found Feathertail so attractive, but everything about her drove him mad. Her beautiful blue eyes, her smile, her soft voice, her wonderful personality and beautiful fur...

Smokepaw had crushes on girls in the past. But he had never just clicked with them the way he did with the silver she-cat. Maybe it was just puppy love, or love at first sight. He just didn't know.

A sudden wave a tiredness washed over him and he decided it was time to call it a day. He struggled to scale the ladders just as Sunpaw had. He reached the top and was greeted by piles of hay strewn about, pale moonlight shining through the small window and illuminating the wooden floor.

The golden tom was lying on a pile of hay, he turned around to face Smokepaw, "off to bed?" he asked.

The grey tom nodded. He headed for the closest pile of hay and lay down. Almost instantly, he began to shift around to get comfy.

"Not comfortable, are they?" The Brit sighed.

"Nope," Smokepaw muttered.

"Well, do you want to talk about something then? Because I can't sleep," Sunpaw stated.

They talked about Midnight, what it could be and what it could do. The talked about clan life, their mentors, their friends. Eventually, they came to the topic of who they were before they became clan cats.

"I was going off to college, but I guess God had other plans," Smokepaw sighed, staring up to the wooden roof.

"I'm -was in high school, but I ran away from home," The ThunderClan apprentice recited, a wrenching sorrow and home sickness in his tone, "I miss my family. Hell, I miss everyone,"

"What were you running away for?" The grey tom asked.

Sunpaw's heart sank into his stomach. He said too much, "I'd... rather not say," he sighed, shifting uncomfortably.

The WindClan raked his mind for reasons for his friend to run away. Then it hit him. They both were killed by the same man, the both were seeking Midnight even though they held no connection to StarClan unlike the six other cats. Evan was a metahuman.

"Evan..." Smokepaw mewed.

"...Yes?" The golden tom responded reluctantly.

"You're a metahuman, aren't you," The WindClan apprentice accused, his amber eyes leering. Deep down he knew he was right; it all made sense. Why else would they four be here? Why else would they be looking for Midnight?

"Yes, b-but for the love of God just please don't-" The ThunderClan cat sputtered.

"Calm down, Rosbif, you're not the only one," Smokepaw deadpanned before disappearing and reappearing near the Briton in a puff of smoke.

"Bloody hell!" Sunpaw yelped, stumbling and landing on his backside. "So, you can turn into smoke?" he asked, then raised his forepaw and watched as it ignited, "I've got fire," he stated.

"I'm not sure if I can do anything else yet," Smokepaw shrugged.

"(Oh, you have got to be kidding,)" A voice sounded, speaking in Russian. The two metahumans turned to face Coldpaw, who stared at them mouth agape.

The RiverClan cat raised his paw. The two cats watched as it became enveloped in frost, the air around it becoming frigid.

"Well, that makes all of us," Sunpaw commented.

"True, but we're not sure about David," Coldpaw stated, "he could be like us too," he added.

"Speaking of him, where is he?" Smokepaw asked "It has to at least be one in the morning now,".

The other two apprentice shrugged their shoulders. They just assumed he was causing trouble with Squirrelpaw, but when the ShadowClan cat returned they would talk to him about his powers. If he had any, that is.

 **...**

David and Squirrelpaw ran, snickering to themselves. Both could hear the dog behind them barking and it's clumsy footfalls. They sprinted towards the fence that segmented the farm land.

The brown tabby hopped over the wooden rails while his partner in crime slid underneath it. The pair began to tumble downwards down the slope they recklessly jumped towards. Sparkpaw grunted as got into a sitting position.

"Did we lose it?" Squirrelpaw asked, looking towards the fence. Almost as if on que, a loud thud followed by a yelp sounded. The fence shook from the impact.

They both burst into hysterics. The ginger she-cat needed to lean against the brown tabby for support. After eventually collapsing from laughter, the pair recollected themselves.

"Jesus, that... that was perfect," The ShadowClan apprentice snorted.

"I know, couldn't have happened at a better time," Squirrelpaw sighed happily.

They both fell into silence, just looking at the sky. A familiar message sounded in David's mind, _look to the sky, David_. He shivered slightly, everything about that dream creeped him out.

The tabby was brought back to reality as the she-cat nudged him, "you still with us?" she asked.

"Yeah, you say somethin' there?" The tom responded, flicking his tail.

"I was asking about what was life like as a rouge," Squirrelpaw recited, "I've asked Sunpaw, but he's boring about it," she huffed, "not really different, honestly. I'm the blandest loner in the world," she mewed, mimicking the gold tom's voice.

A sudden feeling of home sickness tugged at David's heart. He missed his mom and Allen, even if there was an argument every single day with his mom and Allen would yell at time any time he did something stupid, or started a fight, the list went on.

"Sure," The ShadowClan cat replied, "I didn't grow up in a nice place; if you looked at someone wrong you got into a fight," he started, "I go into fights. Lots of them," he chuckled.

"You started them?" The ginger cat questioned. David nodded. "Really?" Squirrelpaw gasped, feigning shock, "I can't believe such a gentle cat would start fights,".

"Keep talking like that and you're gonna find out the hard way," he gave her a playful shove, "anyways, didn't matter who it was with, because my big brother had my back every single time," he mewed, his blue eyes began to fill with admiration.

"You have an older brother?" Squirrelpaw asked, surprise in her green eyes.

"Yeah, his name's Allen," David gave a sigh as he remembered fond memories of his older brother, "Al's got a good head on his shoulders, he's popular, and he yelled at me whenever I did something stupid," he laughed, "he's more like a dad than a brother,".

"Not what I was expecting, but it's better than Sunpaw," Squirrelpaw commented.

"So? Twice as good as anything you could come up with," The ShadowClan cat retorted.

"But I can fight twice as good as you. I bet you fight like a kit," The ginger she-cat challenged, suddenly leaping for David and bowling him over.

David shoved her off him, "Oh, you're in for it now," he responded.

The pair continued mock fight for what seemed liked hours, laughing and taunting one another. The brown tabby would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy every minute of it. Squirrelpaw was pretty good at sparring.

He suddenly pinned her to the ground, "okay, okay, you win," the ThunderClan cat huffed.

"Yeah, and don't forget who beat you," the ShadowClan tom responded, breathing heavily, "that was a fuckin' workout and a half," he yawned.

"Aw, you're tired?" Squirrelpaw mewed, pinning David to the grass, "guess I win then," she added smugly.

"Still won," David stated, grunting as he got to his paws. The two of them trotted back to the barn before eventually racing each other, which the brown tabby won. The two cats said good night, and headed for their nests. Or upper floor in David's case.

As the American scrambled up onto the wooden floor, he realised Lautrec, Ivan, and Evan's eyes were glued to him.

"...What?" he asked.

"We have to ask you a question, David," Coldpaw stated, "you don't happen to be a metahuman, do you?" he asked.

The ShadowClan apprentice raised one of his forepaws, the others watching as it crackled to life, snakes of electricity running across it, "Yeah, you guys too?" he inquired. The three other metahumans nodded, showcasing their abilities of smoke, ice, and fire.

"Honestly, this keeps getting stranger by the day," Sunpaw commented, yawning afterwards, "night, you three," the Brit sighed, resting his head against the hay.

"Night," the others replied, then proceeded to get into comfy resting positions. They all drifted off quickly into a dreamless sleep. All four ex-loners felt closer to one another now; a bond forged by a search for Midnight.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day the chosen ten headed for the Highstones with the guidance of Ravenpaw. The four metahumans were tired from both their uncomfortable nests that night and staying up into the early hours in the morning.

Smokepaw was lagging behind, trotting along and staring at the ground like it was the most fascinating thing on the planet.

"Hurry up, Smokepaw, you don't want to get left behind," Feathertail urged. She fell behind aswell to walk by his side, ensuring he didn't drift off to sleep. The grey tom leaned against her for support.

"Thanks, honey," The Frenchman muttered, his thick accent and tired tone making his sentence near incomprehensible.

"What was that?" The silver she-cat inquiried.

"Thanks," Smokepaw repeated more clearly, blushing like mad. He couldn't believe he said that, or that he just dodged a bullet. Although Crowpaw had understood what he said previously and turned to give a glare of hatred to his friend.

David took note of the smokey grey cat's reaction, "competition?" he asked, nudging him. The ShadowClan cat seemed more laid-back than usual, his late night taking a toll on him.

"Shut it, rouge!" The apprentice snapped, "It's none-"

The brown tabby interrupted him with a smack on the back of the head, "I was asking a question, dickhead," he sneered. The ShadowClan cat padded up to Squirrelpaw, initiating a conversation with her.

"I need a coffee or something," Sunpaw groaned, attempting to keep his eyes open. Coldpaw nodded in agreement with the Brit.

The soon reached Highstones, which was a mountainous area with the entry point to an old abandoned mine. The cats thanked Ravenpaw and continued their journey.

The four metahumans were lost in thought, the revelation from the previous night sparked several questions. What else could they do? They only showed each other what their powers were, not what they were fully capable of.

Their walk continued on, small talk and conversations were dotted in between periods of silence. Soon, the clan cats found themselves walking through a sheep field.

"We should stay away from the sheep, unless you're looking for a broken jaw," Sunpaw warned, warily eyeing any of the livestock that got too close for his liking.

"What's the matter? Scared of clouds with legs?" Squirrelpaw taunted.

"Shut it, I'm not the one who took a panic attack when a spider went near me," The ThunderClan apprentice retorted.

"It would've bit me! A-and it was massive! " The ginger she-cat argued. She blushed a deep scarlet, her ears flattening against her head, from both the memory and the sound of David's snickering.

"Oh, fuck off. Spider's don't bite here and it was tiny," The gold tom responded.

"Jesus, dude. Didn't know you had it in ya," The ShadowClan cat commented. He had long since shaken off his previous drowsiness.

"Quit flirting you two, we're wasting daylight!" Brambleclaw sounded from the front of the group.

"Flirting? Ew, no chance," Squirrelpaw replied.

"What? Are you saying I'm ugly?" Sunpaw asked defensively. He doubted that was the case; they were cats, there wasn't exactly much in the way of physical attraction except for being in-shape. But human nature compelled him to ask anyhow.

"No, you're just the least interesting cat in ThunderClan," she replied, padding further ahead before her friend could reply.

Sunpaw grumbled to himself in response, "I'm not boring,", he huffed.

"Relax, man. It could be worse," The American reassured, "like, I knew this one guy who asked a girl out and she just blanked him for the rest of the year,"

"That's rough," The Brit replied. He did feel a bit better knowing that it could be worse like the brown tabby had stated.

The trek through the farm land continued, inevitably coming to the question of who or what Midnight actually was. There was a divide in answers; David, Evan, and Squirrelpaw all were convinced that Midnight was a cat; Smokepaw, Crowpaw, and Feathertail were sure Midnight was a place; Coldpaw, Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, and Stormfur didn't care. They just wanted to find Midnight.

"It has to be a place, why else would we need to go to the sea?" Smokepaw argued. Feathertail nodded in agreement, Crowpaw gave him a side glance.

"What are you? Brain dead? Midnight's a cat," David responded.

"Quit it! We don't have time for this!" Brambleclaw urged.

"Oh, lighten up asshole," The ShadowClan cat glowered.

"Lighten up?" The ThunderClan warrior repeated, "is this a joke to you? Our home, the _clans,_ are about to be destroyed and you're telling me to lighten up?!" he hissed, stalking closer to the American, "Of course it's a joke; you're nothing but a rouge pretending he's something better,"

David glared, his blue eyes full of rage. Without a word, he swiped his claws across the tabby's face. Brambleclaw was shocked momentarily before bowling the apprentice over. The writhed across the ground, a mass of fur and claws.

"Oh shit!" Sunpaw gasped.

"Sparkpaw!" Tawnypelt yowled.

Neither of the cats cries landed on their ears, and continued their assault. The ShadowClan cat raked his claws down Brambleclaw's pelt, causing the warrior to growl in pain and anger. The ThunderClan cat then kicked him off using his hind legs.

They got ready to collide again, their muscles bunching in preparation to leap for the opposition. Thankfully, the situation couldn't escalate further due to Coldpaw's intervention.

"This ends now!" The RiverClan apprentice yowled, "you're acting like kits, both of you!" he hissed.

"How about-" David started.

"-Quiet! I'm sick to the back teeth of you," The Russian glowered, "if you start another fight, you can look for midnight yourself, understand?"

David glared at the grey tom, who was glaring daggers back. After a small, yet noticeable delay, he spoke, "fine," he growled.

Coldpaw turned to Brambleclaw, "and you, it looks like you're not cut out to lead us," he hissed, "starting fights with apprentices, are you that shallow?".

The ThunderClan cat just snorted, "he should have kept-"

"-Grow up, will you?" The Russian interrupted, " _you_ started this, not him," he sighed, "from now on, I'm in charge,"

Brambleclaw opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by a glare from Coldpaw. Their journey continued in silence, Brambleclaw and David were deprecated with Tawnypelt sticking close by the apprentice.

"Why do you think Dave didn't say anything back to Ivan there?" Sunpaw whispered to Smokepaw.

"Aside from the big, angry Russian part, probably something like MAD stopped him," Smokepaw responded.

The Brit nodded in agreement. All four of them were one man -or cat- armies, it was a scary thought if they decided to trade blows. Frankly, they would obliterate each other, and it looked like the prospect was more than enough to keep the peace between the four of them.

They continued onwards, wrapped up in their own conversations. Smokepaw was flirting with Feathertail while Crowpaw would butt in randomly and Stormfur would make quips here and there. Sunpaw, Squirrelflight, and David were chatting amongst each other. Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt talking to one another.

Coldpaw was the exception, however. He was concerned about how he was going to keep everyone safe and how to keep David and Branbleclaw from killing each other. The grey tom just sighed, _just_ _focus on Midnight for now_ , he thought to himself.

The ten cats soon found themselves staring across a Thunderpath. It was wider than the one that seperated ThunderClan and ShadowClan, having about four lanes compared to the other's single lane. Monsters roared past, including some larger and longer ones.

"Bloody hell, it's a main road," Sunpaw groaned.

"How are we supposed to get through?" Smokepaw added, "I don't know about you all, but I actually like living,"

"We'll have to run through," Coldpaw stated. He was losing confidence in his leadership. He was trying to keep everyone safe, how they hell was he supposed to do that when they needed run across a road with cars, vans, and trucks speeding past?

"Are you mouse-brained? We'll be dead before we even get halfway across!" Crowpaw protested. Several others nodded in agreement.

The RiverClan cat's confidence shattered, but tried to save face, "don't worry, I wouldn't let anything hurt you," he reassured, "now, when I say so, we run," the grey tom instructed.

They all watched as traffic passed, waiting for Coldpaw's signal. The first lane cleared, yet The Russian was hesitant to open his mouth and give the signal. He realised there was a very high chance that someone would die. He didn't want their blood on his paws, especially Evan's, Squirrelpaw's, or Crowpaw's. The Russian couldn't live with himself if he just sent them to an early grave.

"Now!" Brambleclaw yowled. The clan cats shot forth like bullets across the tarmac, leaving the metahumans in the dust. All four of them stared, slack-jawed.

"That sonuva..." David glowered.

"Oh, I can't watch," Sunpaw whined, facing away from the main road, "I don't need to see any dead cats today,"

"Well, we're having to play the waiting game now," Smokepaw huffed, stretching in preparation for the literal death run.

Coldpaw leered, keeping look for any flashes of the six cats. To his surprise, they were already across in perfect condition, "They're..."

"-Dead? Oh fuck, how do I tell Leapaw? She'll be devastated! This was a bad idea, a really fuckin-" The Brit panicked, now pacing up and down in an anxious trance. He sounded like he was ready to cry.

"They're not dead you moron, look!" The ShadowClan cat scorned, forcing the gold tom to gaze at the other side of the road.

"Oh, t-thank God for that," he sighed, giving a relieved laugh.

They would have to throw caution to the wind in they wanted to get through the traffic. Ironically, caution would get them killed. The all steeled themselves for what would come next, ignoring the anxiety building in their stomachs.

The traffic became less dense, all of them got ready to run. "And..." Coldpaw started, watching as less and less cars passed until the lane was clear, "Now!" he yelled. The metahumans sprinted.

It started off smooth, but eventually dissolved into running in random directions to avoid being crushed under an eighteen-wheeler. They scattered, running around like headless chickens and backtracking whenever a car came too close. Coldpaw and Smokepaw were cursing loudly in their native tongues throughout the whole ordeal.

David, Coldpaw, and Smokepaw were able to make it to the other side, panting and wheezing. "Oh, fuck me," The brown tabby grimaced, "I don't _ever_ want to do that again,"

"S-sacre bleu, that was a nightmare," Smokepaw wheezed, collapsing into the dirt, "I can't believe we made it in one piece,"

Coldpaw began to voice his agreement, but he stopped short when he realised Sunpaw was missing, "where's Evan?" he asked.

The two other cats immediately noticed the Brit was absent, beginning to scan the road the crossed. Every part of them hoped that the ThunderClan apprentice was alive. They soon spotted him laying on the second lane. He didn't even make it half way.

"Oh my God..." The American just stared, disbelief in his blue eyes, "is he... is he dead?" he asked.

Coldpaw's heart sank into his stomach. He promised to keep them all safe and he failed. Disgust of himself coursed through him, the Russian couldn't look the other two in the eye. It was his fault.

"I'll go get the body," Smokepaw said solemnly, dissipating into smoke.

"Jesus..." David muttered, chocking back his sorrow.

Smokepaw suddenly reappeared with the body, a look of annoyance in his amber eyes, "Rosbif's not dead, just too scared to move," he stated.

Sunpaw's eyes darted around, his pupils had dilated. He shakily stood up, "F-fucking hell, I don't ever want to do that again," he spat.

Coldpaw gave a sigh of relief, David gave a whoop of relief too, and Smokepaw just grumbled about it being a wast of time.

"You ever do that to me again and I'll push you in front of a truck, ya hear?" The brown tabby threatened. After they all calmed down, The RiverClan cat spoke.

"We need to get moving," he urged, "we need to find the others, too," the grey tom reminded. Then continued onwards, heading eastwards. They hoped that whatever Midnight was, it was worth the trouble of almost dying.


	13. Chapter 13

Blackstar stretched, yawning as he did so then exited the leader's den. The white tom guessed it must have been early morning due to the scarce amount of cats outside in the centre of ShadowClan camp.

Still, the ShadowClan leader had to train Sparkpaw and chew him out for not caring for the elders has he had been instructed. The brown tabby been arguing with the elders and had been checking them for ticks half heartedly. The elders had been making that very clear to him.

Frankly, Sparkpaw hardly got on with any of his clan mates. The brown tabby was extremely aggressive towards Rowanclaw. Borderline bullied his fellow apprentices daily. Now, he was calling elders hags.

Blackstar would be surprised if he wasn't exiled before he even reached the status of warrior. If somebody doesn't kill him first.

Although, Sparkpaw was flying through his training. The ex-rouge caught on fairly quickly to everything he was taught. He excelled in battle training, so much so that Blackstar decided that he should be training with experienced warriors.

But the brown tabby's stealth skills were awful. He could be left in a sandy hollow on top of a mountain and he would still be louder than thunder.

For the first time, Blackstar felt pride for his apprentice. If he kept going the way he was, Sparkpaw would be a warrior by the time he was twenty moons. Considering he had been here for a moon, it seemed that he would need to start considering Sparkpaw's warrior name soon. The ShadowClan leader padded towards the apprentice den, ready to collect Sparkpaw.

"Sparkpaw, get up. It's time for training," he called into the apprentice den.

The White tom waited for several minutes, waiting for his apprentice to stumble out and complain about not getting enough sleep. Yet Sparkpaw never padded out of the den.

"Sparkpaw, get out here. Right now," Blackstar ordered, his tail lashing behind him in agitation. Again Sparkpaw exited the den.

"That's it," The ShadowClan leader growled, he marched into the apprentice den, waking several apprentices and causing them to yelp in surprise when they realised who it was, "Sparkpaw, get up for training right now or I'm going have check the elders for ticks for the next five moons!" he yowled.

Blackstar then noticed that his apprentice's nest was barren, "fox dung!" he hissed, storming out of the apprentice den, leaving several startled and confused apprentices in his wake.

 _He must be out for a hunt_ , The white tom reasoned with himself. Yet a part of him doubted that was the case, or that he was even on ShadowClan territory. He scanned the camp for Russetfur.

Blackstar soon found the dark ginger she-cat approaching the fresh-kill pile, "Russetfur, organise a patrol to find Sparkpaw," he called.

"Sparkpaw? Where's he went?" Russetfur questioned, for a brief moment she almost protested.

"I don't know, just organise a patrol," The ShadowClan leader ordered.

Among the cats Sparkpaw would argue day in and day out with was Russetfur. The dark ginger tabby could keep apprentices in-line with her sharp tongue and brisk tone. Except for Sparkpaw, who had an equally sharp tongue and an attitude to compliment it.

Anytime the pair argued it was a stalemate. Both cats were too stubborn to give in to the other's demands. Eventually, it devolved into a shouting match. While Blackstar admired the resolve his apprentice had, it would be better if it wasn't aimed against his own clan.

The white tom then realised that Russetfur was taking longer than normal to organise a patrol. He approached the warriors den, where the deputy seemed to be having a mental breakdown while warriors were scrambling about.

"Russetfur, what's the hold up?" Blackstar demanded.

The dark ginger she-cat turned to him, "Tawnypelt's not here," she responded.

The ShadowClan leader's jaw dropped, "are you-" he sighed, "just... get the patrol ready, will you?" and with that they left to find the missing cats. The patrol consisted of eight warriors, Russetfur, and Blackstar.

The patrol split into five groups of two, aiming to cover more ground. Blackstar and Russetfur went together, beginning their search.

"Why do you think they ran off?" The white tom asked. He genuinely had no idea why they would run away; Sparkpaw wasn't the most popular cat, but he had the clan's respect. The brown tabby had the clan leader for a mentor too, meaning he had some air of invincibility even if he didn't realise.

Tawnypelt had been long since accepted by ShadowClan and had their respect, even though she was Tigerstar's daughter. There was no reason for her to desert ShadowClan.

"Maybe they ran off to be mates," Russetfur suggested, "there's been gossip about it,".

Blackstar cocked an eyebrow, "really? I don't think so," he remembered how Sparkpaw had been accused of liking Tawnypelt by Smokepaw, and how he just looked at him like he said Brokenstar was a good leader.

"Have you seen how those two talk with each other?" The deputy responded, "there's something between them,"

"And why, pray tell, would they both run away if they wanted to be mates?" The ShadowClan leader pried, "Tawnypelt's a warrior, and Sparkpaw's old enough for it not to be a problem," he added.

"I don't know why, you're going to have to ask them," The dark ginger tabby shrugged. They continued their search, but returned without finding the missing cats. Russetfur dismissed the patrol as Blackstar stalked off.

He began to feel genuine worry for his apprentice. Tawnypelt could take care of herself, but Sparkpaw still had a lot to learn. Blackstar gave a small sigh, he hoped his apprentice would be fine. Because Sparkpaw was dead the second Blackstar saw him.

 **...**

Leafpaw sat in the medicine den in solitude, organising herbs. She gave herself a mental note to tell Cinderpelt that they needed more marigolds and poppyseeds. The she-cat was waiting for Sunpaw too, who usually came into the medicine den with some prey at this time.

Then Leafpaw remembered that Sunpaw had left to find Midnight alongside her sister and Brambleclaw about a day ago. Her friend received a dream from StarClan, ordering him to find whatever 'Midnight' was.

Even after only a day Leafpaw was realising how dull everything seemed without Sunpaw. His warm smile, his blue eyes, his voice... the she-cat sighed, feeling butterflies in her stomach. He was such a nice and funny cat.

He wasn't just nice to her. Sunpaw was extremely friendly with the other apprentices and respectful to the warriors and elders. He was going to make a great warrior.

When the three cats decided to embark on their journey for Midnight, Leafpaw caught up with them, giving them bundles of leaves full of herbs to ease the burden of their journey. Although she would never tell anyone, she give Sunpaw the most herbs.

Leafpaw knew it was wrong to think it, or even acknowledge it, but she thought Sunpaw was handsome. But she didn't want to be mates, a part of the tabby she-cat him like that, yes, but being mates was overstepping it. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint Cinderpelt.

The brown tabby padded out of the medicine den, looking for Cinderpelt. But her mentor was nowhere in sight. Leafpaw asked Whitepaw, who was passing by, if she knew where the grey she-cat was. The white she-cat said she saw Cinderpelt walk into Firestar's den along with Greystripe and Sandstorm.

Leafpaw slowly crept into the den, almost timidly. She heard the four cats' conversation, the topic being the missing cats.

"I... I just don't know why he would run away," Greystripe mewed, still overcoming the shock of his apprentice going missing.

If anyone had taken Sunpaw's temporary departure badly. It would be Greystripe. He had been convinced that Sunpaw went out hunting without telling anyone and he just got lost. By the time the sun was setting, Greystripe had organised about four patrols and even went out himself.

"He's fine; he's with Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw," Firestar reassured, placing his tail-tip on his friend's shoulder. The ThunderClan leader was concerned about all three of them, but he had trust Brambleclaw would take care of them.

"I mean, everything seemed fine. He's not being bullied is he?" The deputy asked, not truly paying attention to the ginger tom.

"Calm down Greystripe, he's been getting along fine," Sandstorm deadpanned, "honestly, you sound like his father,"

"But-"

"He's okay, Greystripe," Cinderpelt interrupted, "all of them are,"

"I'm more concerned why they ran off like they did," Firestar stated, a thoughtful glint in his green eyes.

"Leafpaw told me he said he receive a prophecy from StarClan," Cinderpelt chimed in, "I guess Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw did too,"

"That explains a lot," The ThunderClan leader muttered, "did Leafpaw tell you what is was about?"

The medicine cat shook her head, "Leafpaw said he didn't tell her,"

"But why would StarClan send Sunpaw, of all cats, a prophecy? He's a fine apprentice, but wasn't born into ThunderClan," Sandstorm commented.

The grey she-cat shrugged, "I don't know," she turned to the deputy, "Oh, and Greystripe, can you keep an eye on Sunpaw when he gets back?"

Greystripe shifted, "what for?" he asked defensively.

"I feel that he's getting _too_ friendly with Leafpaw; he's been in the medicine den nearly every day," Cinderpelt warned.

Leafpaw felt hurt course through her. She would _never_ disobey the code, but still she's being accused of having a relationship with Sunpaw? She liked him, but not like that... okay, maybe she did a little bit.

"Sunpaw's a loyal cat; he wouldn't dream about breaking the code," The grey tom argued, "he's just being friendly, Leafpaw's a bit of an introvert and he's trying to get her out of her shell," he defended.

"Just keep watch, please Greystripe," Cinderpelt sighed.

"Maybe you should take your own advice, your apprentice isn't a little kit you know," Greystripe retorted, "she can do wrong too,"

"You know that's my daughter you're talking about, right?" Firestar reminded.

Cinderpelt and Greystripe began to argue, defending their respective apprentices. Firestar and Sandstorm attempted to defuse the situation, yet their words fell on deft ears.

Leafpaw slunk back, deciding that there was a better time to remind Cinderpelt that they needed more herbs. She padded out of Firestar's den and over to the fresh-kill pile, picking a mouse.

She hoped that Sunpaw was okay, same with Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw. Again, Leafpaw felt butterflies in her stomach thinking about him, _please let them be safe_ , she pleaded to StarClan.

 **...**

Hawkfrost opened his eyes, finding himself in the warriors den rather than the Dark Forest. He had another meeting with Tigerstar and the twoleg. He didn't see what was so important about him.

His father had done nothing but rant and rave about Isaac before Hawkfrost had met him, claiming he was the clan's downfall. Frankly, Isaac was the strangest cat -or twoleg- he had ever met, stranger than Coldpaw.

The black cat asked permission to do everything, from just talking to stopping that stupid stance he did every time Tigerclaw was near him. Coldpaw may talk funny, but at least he didn't inform Hawkfrost on everything he was doing. Isaac was just... off. Everything about him was.

The brown tabby had no idea why Isaac intimidated Tigerstar, even if it was just a tiny bit. Whenever those two talked, it difficult to see but the ex-ShadowClan leader was always on edge. That made Hawkfrost weary too.

Hawkfrost stuffed any thoughts of Isaac out of his mind. The twoleg was nothing more than a willing pawn. He couldn't think for himself, so why did Hawkfrost feel threatened by him?

The RiverClan warrior padded out into the camp, seeing a scarce amount of cats outside their dens this early in the morning. He walked to the fresh-kill pile, noting how it was seemingly shrinking.

The brown tabby picked a water vole, sitting outside the warriors den to eat. Afterwards, he would need to wake up Coldpaw for training. He then remembered Coldpaw left to find Midnight along with Feathertail and Stormfur two days ago.

As far as Hawkfrost knew, Midnight was something capable of preventing the destruction of the forest. That's what Tigerstar and StarClan believed anyway. If that was true, then Tigerstar better hope that those five twolegs aren't bright enough to use it for their own gain. Hawkfrost had no doubt that his father was cunning, but he seemed so wrapped up in the fantasy of an easy takeover that the possibility of betrayal never crossed his mind.

But he didn't believe for a second that Coldpaw would ever consider it. The grey tom wanted the same thing they did; unity of the clans. The thought of Coldpaw turning on them stirred an emotion that Hawkfrost believed he would never feel. Hurt.

What started as manipulation soon turned into a friendship between the two as Hawkfrost found himself involuntary respecting and trusting the strange ex-twoleg. Coldpaw was friendly from the moment they met, he didn't even criticise the brown tabby for being kin to Tigerstar.

Hawkfrost sighed, he was starting to feel a tad guilty for manipulating his apprentice. But he pushed the feeling aside, all that mattered was what Tigerstar wanted done. Not what he wanted. The warrior got up, stalking out of camp. He needed to occupy himself.

 **...**

Webfoot sat beside the tall rock, shifting uncomfortably. It has been three days since Smokepaw and Crowpaw went missing. Tallstar said he needed to talk with him, perhaps it was to chew him out for being an incompetent mentor.

Aside from training who ever was your appreciate, you were supposed to be the first cat they would turn to if something was troubling them. Something must have been troubling Smokepaw, and he was too oblivious to it.

It still confused him. It was easy to guess why Crowpaw ran, he was aggressive and had very little social skills. His only real friend was Smokepaw. It was sad really, but Crowpaw only had himself to blame.

Smokepaw was the complete opposite. He was very laid back and mellow, he got along with most of the clan after he became more popular after a rough start. Which is why it was strange for him to run away. He had friends, possibly a future mate in Nightpaw, and his warriorhood didn't seem too distant. So why did he run away?

It wasn't like he would have been a bad warrior; he was very well rounded in his skills, if a bit too defensive during battle training. So it ruled out the possibility of him being teased for his skills or lack thereof.

Any of the times he had actually been insulted, the grey tom always responded with a witty remark. He's made even senior warriors keep their mouths shut with some of his comebacks, which was amusing to watch in all honesty. He could stick up for himself no problem.

So why would he run? Webfoot was scrambling to find a reason. It just didn't make sense. None of it did; Smokepaw wasn't acting strange, he just got up and left.

Tallstar padded out from behind the tall rock, a serious expression on his features. The grey tabby readied himself to be degraded for his incompetence.

"Webfoot, we need to have a chat," The WindClan leader stated, his tone of voice matching his expression.

The warrior said nothing, just nodding his head.

"Smokepaw came to me a few days ago, saying he had a dream," Tallstar stated, "I'm sure Crowpaw did too,"

Webfoot stood with his mouth agape, "What? You mean to tell me I've been beating myself up thinking I failed at being a mentor, but everything's fine?"

"He didn't tell you?" The old cat asked, surprised.

"No, this is the first time I'm hearing it," Webfoot responded. Frankly, he felt a bit hurt and a teeny bit jealous that the ex-loner went to Tallstar first. But he wasn't really surprised, Smokepaw looked up to the black and white cat.

Maybe he was grateful for the chance to join WindClan or maybe it was because Tallstar reminded him of someone he knew. Still it was strange to see Smokepaw, who was laid back and mellow, actively try to impress somebody. Maybe if Tallstar was younger he would have taken him as his final apprentice.

"Well, he told me that StarClan spoke to him in his dreams, telling him to find Midnight, whatever that is," Tallstar continued.

"Did he say what it is?" The warrior asked.

"Not at all," The WindClan leader responded.

"So... is that all you wanted to say?" The grey tabby quizzed.

Tallstar nodded his head, "Yes, you can return to your warrior duties," he dismissed.

Webfoot dipped his head in respect before padding away with the intention to go out for a short hunt. He felt a little better knowing his apprentice was fine. He still felt a bit hurt that he went to Tallstar first. Maybe he should talk to him when he got back.


	14. Chapter 14

"When tomorrow... tomorrow comes today," Sunpaw hummed, bored out of his mind as he and the other metahuman walked down the street.

They were unable to find the other six cats, so they decided to search for Midnight themselves. Their trek soon brought them into a town, a medium sized one. But due to their size, it was practically a concrete jungle.

"Dude, I get it's your favourite band an' all, but shut up," David snapped, "I've heard more about gorillas in the past half hour since that fucking gorilla got shot,"

"Not my fault your music taste's shit," The Brit retorted.

"Hey, Emeniem's awesome," The ShadowClan cat defended.

"He's sounds the exact same as every other rapper," The gold cat stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Who names their band after fuckin' monkeys?" David challenged.

"Who names themselves after a packet of sweets?" Sunpaw leered, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Stop it, both your music tastes are bad," Smokepaw deadpanned, barging between them.

"Oh, so what do listen to then, Frenchie?" The ThunderClan apprentice asked, it was easy to see he was mildly offended by the older teen's comment.

Smokepaw then listed the artists he listened to; some where well known bands, like Imagine Dragons, but quite a few were unknown to the other two metahumans, either because they were French or just obscure.

"They must be shit 'cause I've never heard of any of them," David commented. Sunpaw nodded his head in agreement.

"I'm a guitarist in a band, I think I know what good music is," Smokepaw stated. The American and Briton exchanged a glance, already sick of the WindClan cat's pompous attitude.

"And? Do you want a medal?" The brown tabby asked, sarcasm dripping from each word.

"Stop it you three," Coldpaw sighed, "we need to find Midnight and the others,". Smokepaw, Sunpaw, and Sparkpaw ended their conversation and caught up with the Russian.

They continued the trek, passing by shops, takeaway places, and some older houses. Sunpaw acted almost like a tour guide, claiming that the place felt familiar to him. The young cat spoke with a tone of nostalgia and homesickness.

After passing a street named "Parks Avenue", Sunpaw realised where they were; his cousin's hometown. The other three were grateful, if Sunpaw knew where he was going then it made finding Midnight much easier.

"Aw mate, that's Alfie's Chippy; they have brilliant fish!" The Brit exclaimed, eyes glued to the deep fried fish in the window as he drooled. Memories of him and his cousin getting fish suppers between each other flooded back, causing him to sigh in longing.

Smokepaw shuddered in disgust looking at the greasy fast food like it was road kill, "how can you eat that? I feel my arteries clogging just loooking at it," he snorted.

"What? It's not like I have a chippy everyday," Sunpaw responded, "you're an arse about your music, don't start with your diet," he groaned.

"C'mon dude, it's not that bad," David chimed in, "looks pretty good," he commented, eyeing a king rib.

"So you know how many calories are in that?" Coldpaw asked, "you would have to do at least an hour of exercise to burn that off," he added, using the same tone as the Frenchman.

After a brief dispute, the continued onwards. The metahumans chatted as they walked, talking about whatever came to their minds; relationships, customs of their countries, and eventually their powers and how they discovered them.

"I almost got ran over," Smokepaw started, "I tried to run across the road, which was stupid of me; I lived in Paris," he sighed, "The road was clear, so I ran but I didn't see the bus coming around the corner," The metahuman grimaced at the memory,"I thought I was dead then I... just ended up where I started,"

"I had a really bad fever," Sunpaw remembered, "it was burning up really badly, then my hands felt really warm; I look down and my hands are actually on fire," he tried to suppress a small laugh, "accidentally set my top on fire too,"

David snorted, "I was in a fight, getting my ass handed to me," he had a look of strain, almost like he was struggling to remember, "can't remember who, but the guy said something and I got pissed off," he recited, "I punched him, then he started spazzing out on the ground, look at my hand; boom. It's electric,"

"I was maybe about thirteen-fourteen when I found out mine," Coldpaw muttered, "my babushka-"

"-Babushka?" The ThunderClan cat questioned, cocking his head slightly.

"It's Russian for grandmother," The grey tom explained before returning to his story, "she asked me to pour her a glass of vodka, so I went into the kitchen and went to pour it," he found himself lost in thought, "I think I saw it start to freeze and dropped it then caught it, and it was just covered in ice," he stated, "I dropped it again," Coldpaw chuckled, "my babushka was furious,"

"I can imagine, vodka reeks," Sunpaw commented.

The group had a round of small laughs, then continued on. They began to grow weary, the sun beginning to set as the yellow glow of streetlamps illuminated the pavement they treaded upon.

Despite their protests, Coldpaw urged them to continue onwards. They were looking for Midnight and the other cats. They sighed, but complied. The metahumans began growing weary, yawning as they padded along.

"Can we call it a night now, I'm exhausted!" David whined, his tail swishing back and fourth lazily.

Coldpaw shook his head, "We can't, we need to look-"

"-Enough's enough," Smokepaw interrupted, "Ivan, I know you just want to stop a disaster from happening, we all do, but we need rest," he rested his tail tip on the RiverClan cat's shoulder.

The larger grey tom scanned their tired faces, their eyes pleading for rest. He sighed, "Okay, let's find a place to sleep," he stated. They began a search for a place to spend the night, only to come up empty-pawed. Until David spotted a place to stay.

"Guys, I think I got a place," The brown tabby stated, looking down an alley.

The alley was dingy, dark, and reeked of vomit, urine, and whatever other foul substances were left discarded. The other three stared at him like he had a psychotic death wish.

"Are you mental? We'll get jumped if we go in there!" Sunpaw yowled in protest.

"David, does it look like I'm from Omsk?" Coldpaw questioned, a cold edge in his voice.

"I'm not going in there, I'll step on a syringe or something," Smokepaw spat.

"Guys we're fine," David reassured, "like, it's no biggie. There's houses on the other side, see?" he stated pointing through the alley. He was right, there was rows of roofs of houses on the other side, even though the were mostly obscured by the tall wooden fence. Luckily, there was a large dumpster that would allow them to climb over.

The three cats shared a side glance with one another, silently agreeing the tabby was dead if any trouble should arise. The took a step in the direction of the suspicious alley, then another.

Without even making it halfway, several cats appeared from the shadows. They were all decorated with scars, their fur missing tufts. Some had collars which were studded with what seemed to be teeth, haphazardly slotted through tears in their collars.

The three cats glared at David, ignoring the thuggish cats surrounding them. "We'll be fine," Sunpaw mimicked, "fucking twat,"

"Looks like we have fresh meat," A she-cat sneered, the obvious leader. She was skinny, with dark ginger fur and green eyes, a tooth studded collar adorned her neck.

"Look, we don't want-" Coldpaw started, trying to prevent a fight. Despite his fear, he acted as if he addressing hyper children, calm demeanour and all.

"-Oh aren't you just the edgiest little thing," David spat, "what's with the collar? Are you twelve or something?" he added, "lemme guess, you and your boy band here are called BloodClan too. Gimme a fuckin' break,"

Both groups stared slack jawed that the vulgar tabby, "David! Are you trying to get us killed?!" Smokepaw hissed, a wild fear in his amber eyes.

"You're dead meat," The she-cat growled, then turning to stalking towards the dumpster. The other alley cats unsheathed their claws, hissing and spitting. They began to close in, ready to tear them to shreds.

In response, the metahumans stepped back. Yet David stood his ground, his blue eyes showing no signs of intimidation or fear, only defiance. Without a word, the brown tabby tackled one of the alley cats.

"Did he just-" Sunpaw began to ask before being bowled over by one of the cats, the pair wrestled. The Brit's paws ignited, causing his assailant to gasp as a searing pain began to spread throughout his shoulders, "get off me, you bint!" He snapped, launching the cat off him using his hind legs.

Smokepaw sighed as one of the alley cats charged for him, only to crash through smoke and appear on the other side, coughing and hacking. The cat turned to him, surprise in her features.

"Are you blind?" The WindClan cat taunted. The she-cat charged at him, yowling curses as she again ran through smoke. The Frenchman reappeared, standing in the same spot and shaking his head.

The alley cat hissed, smouldering rage in her eyes. She darted towards him and let loose a war cry, only again to run through smoke and into a brick wall, leaving her unconscious. Smokepaw began to snicker, only to be tackled to the ground by another cat.

Coldpaw had been cornered by two smaller cats, who were coming in for quick swipes then retreating. One of them got too close and as a result, the Russian slammed his head into the concrete.

The other leapt for the grey tom, only to be bowled over by the larger cat. The wrestled on the ground, snarling and hissing. Coldpaw was victorious, yet blood dripped from his now nicked right ear.

Both groups continued their onslaught. The metahumans had been roughed up, with cuts and blood staining their fur. Yet they were holding on with an iron grip.

David muttered curses as he slammed the alley cat, who had tore deep into his shoulder, against the wall. "Where's that bitch?" he spat, scanning the alley. The tabby found her perched on the dumpster, green eyes boring into his soul.

He charged fourth, his paws cracklings with energy. The alley cat leader jumped onto him from the dumpster, aiming to crush him. The brown tabby dodged and bowled her over in retaliation, only to be thrown off soon after.

The two cats were evenly matched, both in their skill and the hatred for each other. Whatever they did, the other immediately retaliated. The opponents soon found themselves on their hind legs, wrestling for control.

Smokepaw paused for a second to watch, almost awestruck. He was watching as someone he had considered having a bark worse than his bite almost overpowering a gang leader. But the she-cat wasn't giving up either, despite electricity surging through her body and the immense pain she must be in, she wasn't letting go. Or perhaps she couldn't.

The WindClan cat soon realised that if they didn't end their fight quickly David would be attacked, maybe even killed, by another alley cat. He had to do something, and fast. He then noticed his front paws were partially enveloped in smoke.

Smokepaw then raise one of them, mesmerised as the smoke trailed from them. Suddenly, a yowl sounded from behind him. Instinctively, he turned and swiped at the cat getting ready to leap at him even though there was distance between them.

The cat was knocked backwards as what seemed to be a bullet of smoke slammed into him. The grey tom just stared at his paw, then back up at the cat, then back at his paw. An epiphany struck him, turning round and firing another projectile at the alley cat leader.

David noticed as the smoke ripped through the air. He shoved the dark ginger she-cat into the projectile's path, watching as it slammed into the side of her head and forced her crash into the concrete, leaving her unconscious.

Almost instantly, the fighting ceased. The alley cats stared in shock at their leader's unconscious body. He fired a bolt of electricity at the concrete where they stood; a warning shot.

"Scram!" He hissed. They did just that, yowling about him being a freak. The metahumans stood breathless, until Coldpaw marched up to David, smacking him across the face.

"Ow! What the-"

"What the fuck were you thinking?" The Russian growled.

"Hey! I know their type; they weren't gonna let us go!" The ShadowClan cat protested. Yet his words fell on deaf ears.

"Look at my ear!" Coldpaw yowled, referring to his bleeding, nicked ear, "look at it! This is your fault!"

"Mate, look calm-" Sunpaw attempted to defuse the situation.

"-Calm down? We almost died because of him!" The RiverClan cat spat, causing the Brit to jump back.

The grey tom turned back to David, "remember what I said about starting another fight?"

The ShadowClan cat nodded, yet he held his ground, "I ain't leaving," he said simply.

"You can stay in this alley for all I care," Coldpaw spat, barging past the teen and causing him to stumble, "you're on your own,". The ThunderClan and WindClan apprentices reluctantly followed him, not saying a word to the American. They leaped onto the dumpster and over the wooden fence.

Sunpaw was the last to land on the other side, greeted by the sight of modern British houses. He waited for David to jump over the fence, grumbling to himself. Yet he never did.

Smokepaw noticed that the gold tom hadn't moved, "Evan, are you coming?" he called.

The apprentice sighed, "coming." he stated simply, padding after the other two metahumans. He had gotten off lightly compared to his friends; Smokepaw was covered in small cuts, Ivan was covered in gashes and his ear had been nicked badly, David had some wounds that would form scars. All he had was a few small cuts and bruises.

The tom sighed to himself, this shouldn't have happened.


	15. Chapter 15

Soon after, the three metahumans began searching for a place to spend the night. They kept eyes out for open windows, cat flaps, anything that would grant entry into one of the homes.

"Don't you think you were harsh on Dave back there?" Sunpaw criticised. Due to Coldpaw's reaction, he had lost some respect for the Russian.

David was right; they definitely wouldn't have let them go, not without battering the four of them first. That was if they were lucky. The Briton had considered the ShadowClan cat as an excellent judge of character.

Sunpaw and David had grown closer with one another since they met, just as Coldpaw and Smokepaw had. He soon found out that the brown tabby hadn't grown up in a nice place, which spurred his aggressive mannerisms.

But it also made him a good judge of a person's character, "It's in the eyes," David had explained to him, "lie through your teeth all you want, but your eyes don't lie.", and he didn't doubt him. Not for a second.

"Not harsh enough," Coldpaw spat, continuing to look for shelter.

"You made us ditch him," Smokepaw chimed in, "he had a pretty deep cut on his shoulder, too," he added.

The larger grey tom paused for a second, then he sighed, "he's going to be fine, he can take care of himself."

The three continued their search, which proved to be less than easy. Balancing on fences isn't easy as it looked, especially when dogs, people, and other cats were harassing you any time they caught sight of the three cats.

Smokepaw gazed up at the night sky, seeing that the moon had begun to rise as it's soft silver glow illuminated the houses, "we should find somewhere soon," he mummered, Sunpaw nodded his head in agreement.

The apprentices soon came upon a house. Despite sharing the same characteristics of the others; made of brick, the same white back door with a cat flap, and windows in the same place. All lights were off, aside from the living room.

They approached it cautiously, treading over newly trimmed grass and onto a stone patio. The ThunderClan cat leaped onto the window ledge, peering in. He noticed that, despite the room's name, it was devoid of life. The only residents were the furniture and a cat bed tucked away in a corner.

The gold tom landed gracefully on his paws as he jumped back down, "house is empty, must be out for the night," he stated.

The metahumans then padded towards the cat flap, just staring at it in silence. "...How do we open this?" The WindClan apprentice asked. The group then proceeded to fumble around the entrance.

The eventually pried it open and entered individually; Sunpaw first, Smokepaw second, and Coldpaw last. The entered a small kitchen, several clean plates sat along a drying rack. Two silver bowls, one full of water and the other full of kibble, sat near the back door.

"Hello? Don't be alarmed, we just need a place to stay the night," The RiverClan tom called out as the padded into the living room. It felt strange to them to walk of smooth wooden floors after walking on dirt and grass for the past month.

The living room had smooth wood flooring, possibly oak, as well as a coffee table against the wall which a TV sat on top of, two leather sofas were positioned around the room along with other miscellaneous objects to make the room seem more lively. Still no sign of the cat that lived here.

"Maybe the cat's outside?" Smokepaw offered.

"Honestly, this just feels wrong to me," Sunpaw stated, "like, we just broke into someone's house,"

"We're cats, what are the police going to do? Arrest us?" The grey tom replied. Then he was suddenly tackled by a mass of brow tabby fur. At first, all three immediately thought it was David.

"David? what are you doing, mate!" The golden tom grunted, pulling the cat of the Frenchman who scrambled away from his assailant. That's when all three realised that it wasn't their American accomplice.

First off, David wasn't pudgy by any stretch of the imagination. Especially since the diet they were on and training they had all been doing for the past month had made them the most physically fit they had ever been. Second, they doubted the ShadowClan cat would ever wear a collar, let alone a pink one.

The cat struggled in Sunpaw's grip, "What are you doing in my twoleg nest!" she screeched.

"Now now, calm down, miss," Coldpaw soothed, "we can explain,"

The she-cat stopped struggling as Sunpaw let go of her. Smokepaw sat at a distance, checking himself for injuries, "she gave me a love bite," he muttered, pawing as his neck. The Brit immediately ran over to check on his friend, not before chuckling to himself.

The cat glared at the large grey tom, fear in her green eyes, "Y-you better start or I'll-"

"-You're declawed," Coldpaw stated, looking at her paws. The tabby's white paws were scarred over, and seemed to almost melt into the floor unnaturally. Pity for her coursed through him, he thought it was distasteful to declaw a cat. It was the same thing as removing someone's finger tips.

He also noticed the tag on her collar, a gold little thing in the shape of a coin. It read "Princess". The fear in her eyes immediately turned to panic as she realised that the RiverClan warrior knew she no means of defence other than her teeth.

"We need a place to stay, just for tonight," The Russian told the house cat, "we'll be gone before you wake up, I promise. It'll be like we were never there," he promised.

Princess gave a small nod, "okay, but what are your names?" she asked.

"Sunpaw,"

"Smokepaw,"

"Coldpaw,"

The tabby gasped, "you're clan cats?".

The three nodded their heads, "How did you know?" The ThunderClan apprentice inquired.

"My brother is the leader of ThunderClan," Princess explained.

"Wait, you're Firestar's sister?" Sunpaw exclaimed, after at he was then barraged by questions about how Firestar was doing. The tom tried to answer the she-cat's rapid fire questions, only to stutter and half answer due to how fast she asked him.

Princess then turned to Coldpaw, possibly to begin pestering him with questions, only to notice his torn ear which was caked in cracked, drying blood. "What happened to your ear?" She inquired, moving closer to inspect it as concern filled her green eyes.

"We got into a fight with some alley cats," the Russian explained. His ear still stung, but not nearly as much as it once had. He should probably rinse it too, to get rid of any problems the dried blood would pose.

"Let me get that for you," She stated, she began cleaning the blood from his torn ear. Smokepaw and Sunpaw watched the scene unfold, cocking their heads slightly. Coldpaw caught their gaze and just shrugged in response.

The two of them held a small conversation as she cleaned his bloodied ear. Despite the rocky start they had, Coldpaw thought that Princess was kind and hospitable, as well as cautious as she worked around his ear, treating it as if it were fragile glass.

Just like Sasha. An immediate feeling of sorrow and longing bubbled inside the grey tom, he grimaced as his throat clenched. The memories of Sasha was practically haunting him now. Teased relentlessly about it, always reminding Coldpaw what happened was his fault, no matter how much he told himself the fault was no one's.

What's worse is that he saw his ex-wife in every single woman -or she-cat- he talked to. Feathertail was calm and collected, just like Sasha. Tawnypelt had resolve, the same kind that let Sasha pursue her career as a nurse. Now, here was Princess, who showed him and the others hospitality only Sasha had.

"Hm? Something wrong?" Princess questioned, concern in her voice.

The RiverClan cat struggled to find his voice, "nothing," he replied, hardly above a whisper, "it's nothing,". The house cat didn't respond, opting to continue cleaning the blood from his ear.

After the brown tabby finished, she signaled him to follow. Coldpaw complied, padding behind her up the stairs and into a bedroom. She jumped onto the bed, soon afterwards he did too.

The silver moonlight created a rectangle of light on the bed, giving a white covers an almost reflective quality. Princess turned to him, a knowing look in her green eyes. They sat in silence, just staring at one another.

Princess suddenly spoke, "you're having trouble moving on, aren't you?"

Coldpaw was taken aback, "how did you..." he drifted off.

"You had that look in your eye," she explained, padding up to him, "please tell me, I can help," she placed her tail tip on his shoulder.

The large grey tom exhaled through his nose, "I rushed a relationship with someone I loved very deeply," he started, "we were young when we met, we were too young when I decided I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and..."

The RiverClan cat drew in a deep breath, attempting to calm himself, "it doesn't go away, I see her in all the she-cats I talk too, I compare them to her," he was choking back tears, "it's all my fault,"

"Shh, it's not your fault," Princess soothed, "she wasn't the right cat, that's all," she comforted, "you'll find someone,"

Coldpaw gazed into her eyes, blue meeting green. It was as clear as day that she had been through a similar situation, "what about you?"

Princess seemed to steady herself, whatever happened still affecting her, "I had a mate, and I thought we love each other, but..." she sniffed, "when I was pregnant with his kits, he just... left,"

"It's alright," The grey tom soothed.

The brown tabby scooted closer to him, close enough that their pelts were almost brushing against each other. She craned her neck to look up at him, moonlight illuminating her face.

Slowly, Princess began to lean in. Coldpaw did too, fully intent in meeting her halfway. Their noses pressed against one another in what the grey tom could only interpret as a kiss.

They both pulled away after a minute, a smile of satisfaction of both of their faces, the pair went in for another kiss, only to be interrupted by Smokepaw and Sunpaw. The golden cat's face had faint traces of soot on it, like a cartoon bomb exploded in his face.

"Arsehole hit me in the face!" The ThunderClan apprentice whined.

"You tripped," The WindClan cat corrected, although the amusement in his amber eyes betrayed him. He had definitely done something.

Coldpaw sighed, jumping off the bed, "I don't care, I just want to go to sleep," he yawned, the others did too. They turned and padded away to find somewhere to rest, Sunpaw grumbling.

The Russian heard a soft thud as Princess landed beside him, "you can sleep in my bed if you want, I prefer up here anyway," she purred, nuzzling underneath his chin. Coldpaw nodded his head and mewed a goodbye.

The tom padded downstairs and into Princess' bed, laying his weary head on the soft cushion. He smiled, knowing that he had moved on from Sasha. Just as she had with him.

* * *

 **Thank you to everyone who has been reading along so far, I really appreciate it. I'll be doing a massive overhaul of the previous chapters, too. So... I guess I'll ask a question:** **Who is your favourite metahuman so far?**

 **Cheers for reading along :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Coldpaw's eyes fluttered open. Compared to the hay back at the barn, Princess' bed might as well have been a cloud. The early morning sun illuminated the living room, Sunpaw and Smokepaw were laying on opposite sides of the couch across from him.

The grey tom was made aware of the warm body curled beside him, he looked down to see Princess, sleeping soundly. Her green eyes slowly opened, "good morning," she purred, nuzzling the RiverClan cat.

"Morning," Coldpaw smiled, "I thought you preferred upstairs," he commented.

"I do," the tabby she-cat responded, "but, I just couldn't help myself," she smiled, giving the grey tom a lick on the cheek. Princess pulled herself closer to him, making them a mass of brown tabby and grey fur.

"I need to get up, Princess," The metahuman sighed. He got up and out of the nest, waking the other two cats. They began to get themselves ready to continue their journey.

Sunpaw padded into the kitchen and began raiding cupboards, looking for something to eat before they left. The golden tom soon found dental treats for cats, he popped one into his maw.

"Really? Cat food?" Smokepaw snorted.

"What? We're cats and I'm starving," The Brit defended, "tastes like... fish and toothpaste," he commented.

The WindClan cat gagged, heading for the cat flap. The ThunderClan apprentice just shrugged, it didn't taste any good but there was no need to gag about it. He followed the Frenchman outside.

"You think Ivan and Princess have something going on?" Sunpaw inquired.

Smokepaw just shrugged, "don't know and don't care," he stated, "but the others will,"

The grey tom was right. If the Russian and the house cat did have something going on, then it wouldn't be pretty if anyone (except them) found out. Seeing someone from another clan is bad, but seeing someone who isn't even a clan cat? Coldpaw would be ripped to shreds by RiverClan, maybe Firestar too.

"Yeah, but I guess it's fine as long as he's just pulled her and that's it," The gold tom shrugged, "but I don't think he's like that,"

Smokepaw was about to ask what 'pulling' was, but as he was about to ask Coldpaw stepped out of the cat flap. "Ready to go?" He asked both of the younger apprentices, they nodded.

"Where do think you're going?" Princess questioned, padding out from the cat flap after the RiverClan cat. She brushed herself against the large grey tom, nuzzling him underneath the chin.

Sunpaw and Smokepaw shared a glance, "uh... when did _this_ happen?" The WindClan cat spoke.

"Last night," The tabby she-cat purred, entwining her tail with Coldpaw's, who smiled down at her.

"Uh-huh, you know the others are going to be pissed off, right?" Sunpaw reminded. The colour from the RiverClan cat's drained, his blue eyes widening.

"Well, we can deal with that when it happens," The house cat responded, "and what are they going to do about it?" she challenged.

"Fuck knows, but I'm not sticking up for you two," The ThunderClan cat stated.

Smokepaw nodded in agreement, "me neither," he chimed in, "it's probably for the best if you show as little affection as possible around them, though."

The three cats then continued their search for Midnight and headed eastwards, now with Princess in tow. They walk down the path along the front of the estate, the tunes of early morning birds filling their ears.

"So, where are we headed again?" Princess inquiried.

"The shore," Coldpaw responded.

"Why?" The tabby she-cat replied.

The Russian then filled her in on way they were doing. Receiving dreams, meeting with the other clan cats, their search for Midnight. Nothing was left out. Princess took it all it in, her expression was one of wonder. It wasn't surprising to the other three, frankly because it all sounded like a fantasy novel where a valiant knight was on a quest to save the kingdom.

"Wow, you're so brave," Princess mewed, nuzzling Coldpaw. He smiled, giving the she-cat a lick on the top of the head. Smokepaw just rolled his eyes while Sunpaw raised an eyebrow, it was like watching a thirteen year old suck up to her crush.

The four cats continued onwards, conversating with one another. Princess took keen interest in whatever Coldpaw had to say. Smokepaw just snorted, it was an embarrassment. Sunpaw noticed and nudged his friend in an "you're like that too" fashion. The Frenchman just glared in response.

"Wonder where Dave is?" The gold tom muttered to his WindClan companion.

The grey tom shrugged, "he's either on his way back to ShadowClan, or he's looking for Midnight,"

Sunpaw just nodded in agreement, the ShadowClan cat was tough and, despite not looking it, he was pretty streetwise. That was excluding his powers; David would be fine. Knowing him, he was probably on his way back to the clans.

They continued their trek, coming back into the town. It was just as lifeless as it had been when the padded through the night beforehand. Although, there were much more cars on the roads, even if that meant there was only four cars going at twenty miles per hour.

"This place is pretty dead," Smokepaw stated.

"Yeah, because it's like eight in the morning," Sunpaw replied, "Ivan, you feeling alright? You've been quiet today," he asked the RiverClan cat.

Coldpaw snapped out of his daydream, "hm? It's nothing, just thinking," he responded.

"What's on your mind, handsome?" Princess mewed, brushing her pelt against his. In response, Coldpaw entwined his tail with hers. The other two apprentices just rolled their eyes.

After two hours of walking and talking (flirting in Coldpaw and Princess' case) the cats were coming close to the edge of town. Houses and other buildings such as shops, takeaways, and other miscellaneous businesses were becoming scarce.

The only thing that greeted them was a wide expanse of fields and farmland, a single dark grey line for a road cutting through the green fields. They decide to wait on the other cats.

Minutes turned to hours as the cats waited. Smokepaw and Princess wanted to get moving, believing the six other clan cats and David had continued on. They began to argue.

"Let's get moving already, they're probably far ahead of us," The WindClan apprentice argued.

"Can't be, they don't know their way about Chelford like I do," Sunpaw stated, "they're probably still in it,"

"How do you know they ever went into the twolegplace?" Princess challenged.

The ThunderClan apprentice opened his mouth to respond, but he knocked over by a blur of ginger fur. The three other cats were about to rush to his aid until they realised it was Squirrelpaw.

"Sunpaw, you're alive!" The hyperactive she-cat exclaimed.

"Why wouldn't I be?" The tom grunted from underneath her.

"I saw you lying down on the thunderpath," Squirrelpaw stated, "I... I thought you were dead," she sniffled, "don't do that to me again, you hear?"

Sunpaw nodded, "sure. Can you get off me now?" he asked, being crushed underneath her. Squirrelpaw immediately stepped off him, apologising sheepishly.

"Where are the others?" Coldpaw questioned.

"Them? They're coming over right now," The ThunderClan apprentice answered, pointing her tail in the direction she had came from. They could see the figures of Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, Feathertail, Stormfur, and Crowpaw moving towards them.

When the five other cats approached them, they immediately paced faster to greet them. They were reunited again.

"Smokepaw, I'm so glad to see you safe!" Feathertail purred, placing her head on the grey tom's shoulder in what he perceived as a hug. Smokepaw blushed as a cheesy grin appeared on his face.

"I knew it would take more than a monster to keep you down," Crowpaw chimed in.

The WindClan apprentice smiled, "it's good to see you both in one piece,"

"Wait, where's Sparkpaw?" Tawnypelt mewed, the others froze as they realised the ShadowClan apprentice was absent. The ShadowClan she-cat turned to Coldpaw, "Coldpaw, where is Sparkpaw?" she demanded, stalking closer to him.

"Don't you touch him!" Princess hissed, standing in front of Coldpaw. The RiverClan cat immediately went to calm her down, but she silenced him with a quick 'shush'.

"And just who are you, kittypet?" Tawnypelt spat.

"I'm his mate," The house cat stated, entwining her tail with Coldpaw's own. The RiverClan cat immediately paled at the realisation of what the brown tabby just said, loud and clear for everyone to hear.

The other cats were stunned into silence. The only sound heard was Smokepaw whistling followed by him making a strange sound, mimicking the sound of a bomb being dropped and exploding.

The six cats immediately erupted into yowls of disapproval and outrage. Coldpaw didn't even try to defend himself, knowing he had done wrong. "How could you, Coldpaw?" Feathertail spat.

"Coldpaw, who is she?" Princess demanded.

Sunpaw and Smokepaw immediately grimaced, "oh no," they muttered in unison. The RiverClan apprentice opened his mouth to explain that he and Feathertail had nothing between them, only to be interrupted by his new mate.

"You two-timing rat!" The house cat yowled, tears in her green eyes. Without a word she bolted in the direction she, Coldpaw, Sunpaw, and Smokepaw had came from. The Russian chased after her, calling her name.

"What the fuck was that about?" A new, familiar voice asked. The others turned to face the owner of the voice, finding a familiar brown tabby tom with a white underbelly. A wound decorated his shoulder, a scab was beginning to form over it, ready to become a scar in time.

Squirrelpaw bounded over to him, "David!" she look one look at his shoulder and cringed, "ouch, what happened?" the ginger she-she asked, concern in her green eyes.

"Just a fight with some strays, no biggie," David shrugged, "thanks for having my back for that, Lautrec," he added, referring to the Frenchman's knockout of the strays leader.

"No problem," The WindClan cat shrugged.

"Must have been rough," Tawnypelt winced, "you're going to get a nasty scar from that, and Coldpaw's practically got three ears now," she stated.

"Yeah, kinda embarrassing since they had, like, teeth or somethin' in their collars," The brown tabby muttered.

"Wait, you four fought BloodClan?" Brambleclaw gasped.

"Really? It's that what they're-" David groaned, "yeah, we did," he confirmed.

"all four of you?"

"yeah,"

"against an entire clan,"

"yep,"

"and you won?"

"'Course we did," David snorted, "we'd be dead if we didn't," he stated. Squirrelpaw began to pester the ShadowClan apprentice for details while the other clan cats sat in shock.

Four apprentices were able to beat some of the most vicious rouges around, something that took a combined effort of ThunderClan and WindClan. It was undermining to say the least.

"So, someone wanna fill me in on what's happenin' between Coldpaw and the chick?" The brown tabby tom asked.

 **...**

Coldpaw padded after Princess. Guilt racked his pelt, despite him doing no wrong. Princess had assumed he had manipulated her, which wasn't true in the slightest. The grey tom couldn't imagine ever being mates with Feathertail.

The RiverClan tom caught up with the she-cat, finding her hunched over and sobbing to herself. He padded closer to her, only meters between them. "Princess," he called, "please, let me explain," he asked softly.

Princess spun around, "explain what?" she snapped, "how you used me? How you lied to your _real_ mate? You're just like he was; can't resist a prettier she-cat. I don't need anything explained!" she hissed, tears streaming from her eyes.

Coldpaw sighed, "there's nothing between me and her," he stated, "I can tell you right now, that I've never cheated. She was upset that I took a partner outside of my clan," he soothed, stepping closer to the tabby she-cat.

Princess bored into his blue eyes, seeing that everything he was completely true. The she-cat's glare softened and she began to sob. She moved over to Coldpaw, embracing him.

"I'm sorry," Princess whimpered.

"It's okay," Coldpaw soothed, giving her a lick on the head. The sat in their embrace for what felt like hours, Princess' sobs turning to gentle purrs as she wrapped her tail around the RiverClan tom.

"Come on, let's get back to the others," Coldpaw stated, leaving the embrace and beginning to pad to where the other cats where situated. Princess followed behind closely.

"We'll need to pretend we're not mates around them now, won't we?" The she-cat asked.

The RiverClan cat nodded, "but around David, Evan, and Lautrec, we'll be fine," he assured.

 **...**

"So you're telling me that Coldpaw is mates with my aunt?" Squirrelpaw question, cocking her head slightly. The ThunderClan apprentice had realised that Princess looked a lot like Leafpaw, so Smokepaw and Sunpaw told her about their relation.

"yep," Sunpaw mewed.

The ginger she-cat groaned, "great, now I feel weird,".

Suddenly, Coldpaw and Princess padded up to the group of cats. Somber expressions chiselled into their faces. The clan cats glared at them, waiting for a response.

"we're no longer mates," the Russian lied. He continued walking, heading into the farmland, "let's get going," he ushered.

The rest followed, nobody saying a word. Coldpaw, along with Princess, fell to the back of the group, where a smirk adorned their faces. They had taken the bait.


	17. Chapter 17

Sunpaw padded through the forest, hoping to catch a mouse or two. The group had stopped after several days of traveling, deciding to rest for the next few hours. A small wooded area was close by their resting point, so he took advantage to the circumstances and chose to go hunting.

Unfortunately, the group's relationship with Coldpaw was strained. They didn't trust him anymore, after finding he had been seeing Princess even though it was brief. Or that's what the two "ex" lovers were stating.

But the ThunderClan tom didn't mind whatsoever. Frankly, the warrior code was unnecessarily strict involving relationships. Medicine cats where forbidden from having relationships for some reason - the biggest offender for the most dumbest rule.

David and Sunpaw had been arguing with the clan cats how why it was stupid, caused unnecessary drama, and how it shouldn't even exist in the first place.

"Look, the other clan one makes sense; you don't need someone sympathising with the enemy, y'know? But the medicine cat one is just fucking stupid," The ShadowClan apprentice snorted, his wound had been getting progressively better.

"Dumb? It's there for a reason," Tawnypelt argued.

"Yeah, to cause drama," Sunpaw mewed.

"But a medicine cat with a mate will prioritise them over others," Stormfur stated.

"What? And warriors don't?" The brown tabby retorted.

The arguement never moved on from that. But, in the Brit's opinion, David and him were right. He couldn't think of a reason in favour of it that couldn't be applied to warriors. He removed any thoughts of the code from his mind. He came here to hunt, not to debate with himself.

Sunpaw soon scented a mouse and dropped into a hunter's crouch. Shorty after, a plump brown mouse scurried before him, unaware of the danger it was in. Without even thinking, the metahuman pounced on the rodent, pinning it then nipping the back of it's neck.

The gold tom was amazed how hunting seemed to be automatic now, it was like tying shoelaces or riding a bike. Against his better judgment, he decided to eat the mouse then and there, feeling his stomach twist in hunger.

Mouse didn't taste nearly as good as blackbird, and he couldn't believe he was actually eating a diseased rodent. After he was finished, he buried the remains in an unmarked grave.

A thought popped into his head. If cats had a conscience, did other animals too? The musing suddenly made him feel slightly guilty about killing other animals. But he eased his mind, telling himself it was necessary.

Sunpaw soon heard a pair of cats in conversation, their voices becoming clearer as they padded closer to his location. He hid inside a nearby bush, deciding he would eavesdrop. Not like he had anything else to do.

David and Squirrelpaw padded into the clearing, lost in their conversation. Honestly, it was like it was a different cat whenever David talked to her.

"I didn't know you had a sister," the brown tabby mewed.

"Her name's Leafpaw," the ginger she-cat stated, "she's a medicine cat,"

"Cool," David muttered. He didn't seem to interested, but made effort to at least appear interested.

"I think she likes Sunpaw," Squirrelpaw commented.

The ThunderClan apprentice's ear picked up. Leafpaw liked him? As in like liked him? No wait, that's what Squirrelpaw thought. He doubted that the tabby she-cat actually liked him like that. Before they had been divided at the main road, Squirrelpaw had hit the nail on the head - he was boring.

Nothing stood out about him, physically or in personality. He was a cat with gold fur and blue eyes who landed himself in awkward situations by backtracking or trying to make the situation better.

That might not sound bad to some, but when you have friends who can play guitar, or do boxing, or were amazing artists. You start to feel mundane. It was a miracle he ever landed Kelly, honestly it was only because they both liked Gorillaz. Leafpaw could do better than him, not like that was difficult to do anyway.

"How's that?" The ShadowClan apprentice challenged.

"See, me and her were sharing some fresh-kill, about..." The ThunderClan she-cat paused for a second, "maybe a half-moon ago? So, I see Sunpaw talking with Whitepaw, right? I say to Leafpaw "look, Sunpaw's back from training," and she doesn't answer,"

"So what? She's just staring?" David interrupted.

"And she's purring," Squirrelpaw added, "like, it couldn't be any louder," she stated, "said something about him being handsome too," she added.

Sunpaw's jaw dropped. Suddenly, everything made sense. Leafpaw didn't want have a friendly night out, she wanted to spend time with him. The tabby she-cat hadn't been upset that he had been spending time with his other friends like she told him - she had been upset because she thought he liked Brightheart.

A sudden happiness rushed through him, grinning like an idiot. Somebody actually thought he was attractive! Butterflies began running rampant in his stomach as a faint blush appeared on his face. Leafpaw loved him... and he loved her too.

The ThunderClan apprentice decided that, after all of this was done, he would ask her out. It was against the code and he would be in hot water if someone were to find out, but he didn't care. The rule was stupid.

In fawning over the tabby she-cat, Sunpaw didn't realise that David and Squirrelpaw had left. He padded out of the bush, deciding to catch some more prey to bring back to the others. He caught a pigeon, squirrel, and a mouse.

Sunpaw soon returned with his prey, offering it to them. Squirrelpaw took the pigeon, sharing it with David. Smokepaw took the squirrel, muttering a thank you before beginning to eat. Princess took the mouse.

The house cat needed some encouragement from Coldpaw before she took a small bite of the rodent. Although she ate it fine, she didn't seem to be too keen on the taste.

"Why is she with us again?" David questioned through a mouthful of squirrel, a small bit of meat flew from his mouth.

"Because she knows a lot about the twolegplace we're coming up on," Coldpaw stated, giving Princess a nudge, "don't you?"

The brown tabby she-cat nodded her head, "I used to live there before my twolegs wanted to move," she lied.

The ShadowClan cat narrowed his blue eyes, "uh-huh," he mewed, returning to Squirrelpaw and his squirrel.

After finishing their meals, the cats continued their journey. The journey took them through farmland, sounds of machinery filling their ears. Their trek lasted three days. Nothing but three days of walking then resting, rinse and repeat.

Their paws ached and it was common to experience wearines. None of them, except Princess, complained. The house cat whined that her paws ached, she was tired, and she was hungry.

Most of the cats just ignored her, understanding that this was the first time she even had to actually walk this far - just like them. But Tawnypelt was vocal anytime Princess whined, which brought Coldpaw in.

Doing so wasn't helping the Russian's reputation with them whatsoever. That fact that him and Princess had a relationship which they 'called off' was bad. Defending her wasn't making things better for him.

Eventually, night began to fall and cats needed a place to spend the evening. They soon found a rickety, old wooden house. It was pretty small, standing crooked with a gaping hole in the roof.

Sunpaw almost froze upon laying eyes on it, the munitions factory in London forcing it's way back into his mind. He couldn't move, standing still and the others approached the rickety old building.

Smokepaw noticed his friend's strange behaviour, "Evan, are you alright?" he mewed, grave concern in his amber eyes.

The Brit was snapped out of his trace-like state, "I'm fine," he assured in a hoarse voice. They padded into the building. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, causing Coldpaw to sneeze.

"Jesus, can you stop?" David asked, watching as the grey tom began to have a fit on sneezes.

"I can't-" Coldpaw was interrupted by his own sneeze, "my nose is-", another sneeze, "(sensitive!)" he snorted.

"Sacre bleu, and I thought my hay fever was bad," The Frenchman grumbled to himself, curling up on an old chair.

The other cats soon found comfortable places to sleep. David and Squirrelpaw found two drawers pulled out, Sunpaw took residence on a windowsill. Coldpaw curled up on a musty old couch opposite of Princess, sniffing and snorting to himself. The others payed scattered, sleeping wherever they could.

Sunpaw stared out the window, moonlight illuminating his face and the fields outside. He wasn't tired, instead of thinking of ways to get alone with Leafpaw. He could wake her up in the middle of the night and they could sneak out of camp, but he had a feeling Cinderpelt would notice.

Maybe he could help her gather herbs and ask her when they got far enough from camp, but then what if another apprentice or warrior walks by? If he was feeling bold, he could march into the medicine den and get a quick kiss from her, but that definitely wouldn't end well.

The ThunderClan apprentice just sighed to himself. He would just have to take the opportunity whenever he could. He rested his head on his paws, thinking of Leafpaw as he was lulled into sleep.

The next day, the eleven cats continued onwards. They eventually found themselves in another, larger twolegplace than before. Their walk was uneventful, only conversations taking places. Until they came across a park.

It was a regular park, with a playground, benches, bins, and the like. Several twolegs either with their kits or dogs were present. A pair of twolegs stood chatting, one holding a dog's leash. The said dog was sniffing around, bored as it's twolegs kept talking.

The clan cats and Princess froze as the dog spotted them, they got ready to run while the house cat immediately hid behind Coldpaw. The metahumans remained unaffected but the canine's presence.

"We're fine - the mutt's on a leash," David reassured, unimpressed with the supposed fierce warriors sudden fear. Just as he said that, the dog began barking before bolting towards them making the twoleg stumble and release his grip on the leash.

"Oh shit." the ShadowClan cat gulped.

The cats immediately began sprinting. Smokepaw -who wouldn't stop saying sacre bleu- and Crowpaw bounded before the rest of them, their light frames and swift paws giving them an advantage.

The others were fine, able to keep distance between them and the canine. Although, Princess was struggling to barely stay out of the mutt's reach. Coldpaw immediately came to her aid, keeping the canine occupied until the she-cat was at a safe distance before continuing to flee.

Soon, they heard yelping and hissing, followed by a twoleg scolding his dog. A scarred, dark brown tabby stood with their back to the. They turned a around, amber eyes full of amusement.

"Y'all are some lucky cats, that dog would've chew you up an' spit you out," the loner mewed, he had a southern accent, which was strange considering they were in the UK.

"W-who are you?" Princess questioned from behind her 'ex'-mate, still shaken up from the dog's pursuit.

"Name's Purdy, darlin'," Purdy introduced.

"Dude, why the fuck does he have a Texan accent?" David demanded.


	18. Chapter 18

"Somethin' funny?" Purdy challenged David, not too happy that his accent had been insulted.

"No, you just sound like a redneck," The ShadowClan apprentice shrugged. The two cats began to argue, spitting insults about each other.

Brambleclaw sighed, "you said you know about this twoleg place, kittypet?" he asked Princess.

The tabby she-cat's green eyes lit up in surprise and panic, "y-yes," she responded.

"Then you know what direction the sundrown place is in," The ThunderClan cat stated. He turned his attention to David and Purdy, who were still arguing. Brambleclaw briefly pondered if the ex-rouge and loner were from the same place, seeing as their accents were somewhat similar.

"Um, no. I-I don't," Princess corrected meekly, slinking back from the warrior.

"What?" Tawnypelt yowled, stalking forward to the house cat, "you _lied_ to us? What for? Still mooning over Coldpaw?" she snapped.

The tabby she-cat began padding backwards, desperately hoping to put distance between them. Coldpaw stepped in between the two she-cats, blue eyes glaring at Tawnypelt. The two clan cats immediately began staring each other down.

"C'mon, Tawny. Leave the girl alone," David demanded, him and Purdy had just finished their argument.

"She lied to us!" Tawnypelt spat, "how in StarClan's name are we supposed to get the sundrown place now!"

"Y'all lookin' for the sea?" Purdy asked. The eleven cats nodded, Princess did so reluctantly. "Why did ya say so?" he asked, he began padding off in a random direction, "follow me and I'll have ya there in a jiffy," he stated.

The cats began to follow, with the metahumans and Princess tailing at the end. The group continued their trek through the twoleg place. It was much more lively compared to the previous one, with the sounds of automobiles being more prominent, more shops and takeaways were scattered around too.

"David, thank you for-" Coldpaw praised, he had been disappointed when Evan and Lautrec said they wouldn't help if trouble would arise from his and Princess' relationship. When the ShadowClan apprentice had openly disapproved of Tawnypelt's response, he was pleasantly surprised.

"-don't talk to me," David spat.

The RiverClan cat was taken aback, "excuse me?" he asked, both confused and offended. Princess glared at the other brown tabby, how dare he talk to someone so sweet and caring like that.

"You ditched me in that alley with fuckin' deep cut," the ShadowClan cat snapped, "I'm lucky I ran into someone or else I could've bled out," he turned around and abruptly began to walk off, "Ruskie asshole," he muttered.

Coldpaw frowned, guilt spreading in his chest. The American was right, in his anger he had neglected the tabby's health and left him behind when he should have helped him. Princess noticed his response, she brushed against him and gave him a small, quick lick on the neck and hoped nobody noticed.

"That was something," Smokepaw commented to Feathertail, whom nodded in agreement. The Frenchman turned to Sunpaw who was lost in thought with a grin on his face.

"What are you in a good mood for?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

The gold tom brought himself back to reality, shaking his head, "hm? I don't know, I just am," Sunpaw shrugged.

The WindClan cat just shrugged in response, he knew it wasn't the whole story but he didn't care enough to pry. Last night, he caught the Brit staring out the window with that exact same smile. ( _He must like someone.)_ , the grey tom concluded.

Which brought along the question of who. Squirrelpaw? No, it couldn't be. It would have been much more obvious before now. Tawnypelt? They never talked once. Feathertail? Smokepaw immediately felt threatened. He couldn't, he was already competing against Crowpaw and he didn't need someone else muscling in.

"Something wrong, Smokepaw?" Feathertail asked.

"Nope, everything's fine," the WindClan cat smiled. He pushed all thoughts of such a strange love... square(?) and convinced himself it was probably someone from his clan, maybe he would ask sometime.

Purdy eventually lead them to a twoleg nest, which was larger than the ones the clan cats had seen before. The back door was wide open, allowing them to walk in and out freely if they decided to approach it. Perhaps it was a cat sanctuary.

"Why are we here?" Crowpaw asked.

"Food," The loner stated simply.

All the cat were about to voice their protests, only to be interrupted by a surprised yelp of Feathertail as she was lifted by a twoleg kit. Squirrelpaw and Stormfur managed to get the child to let go of her, watching as she ran off to her mother.

"Watch yourself," Purdy chuckled, "it's the ones with the pretty fur that get it,"

"That's nice and all," Sunpaw interrupted, "but I'm not touching that bloody kibble," he snorted.

"You didn't mind eating cat treats," Smokepaw commented nonchalantly.

"I was starving and it still tasted like cardboard," The gold tom defended.

"Well y'all ain't gonna be huntin' no mice 'round here," The scarred loner stated, "if you don't wanna starve better eat up,"

The cats groaned, hesitantly complying with the Purdy. They marched into the sanctuary, spotting several bowls full of wet food for cats. The cats tried not to gag while Princess let out a delighted squeal.

The cats (except Princess) reluctantly began eating the wet food, treating it as if it was a bowl full of gore. After finishing the worst meal of their lives, the cats immediately drank from the water bowls accompanied with them.

"Ah, that was delicious," Princess purred, licking her maw clean.

"I think I'm gonna hurl," David groaned before quickly rushing outside, followed by the sound of gagging. The tom walked back in, still looking like a sick puppy, "I fucking hate you, Purdy," he wheezed.

"Likewise," the loner smiled.

The twelve cats soon departed, heading in the direction Purdy thought the sun had risen from as grey clouds had blanketed the sky. The weather eventually cleared up and revealed that they were walking into the sunset, meaning they were headed in the opposite direction.

The cats immediately yowled, hurling abuse at the loner. "Alright! Alright! Don't git your knickers in a twist," he grumbled. The cats immediately began to backtrack, grumbling as they did so.

The next day, they passed an alley where they were attacked by rats. Tawnypelt was bitten before they could be driven away. Uncharacteristicly, David began to panic as her condition worsened.

The journey eventually spiralled into David yelling at Purdy for leading them by an alley full of "diseased little bastards" and the other cats arguing with the loner, which he ignored every single comment they made.

"How mousebrained can you get?" Crowpaw spat, "first you get us lost, then you get one of us bitten by rats? What's wrong with you!" he yowled.

"Quit yer bellyachin'," Purdy snapped, "there's a forest right there, y'all can find a herb to patch her up," he explained, pointing at a wooded patch with his tail.

"What? Trying to get us more fucked?" David snarled, he was acting as support for Tawnypelt as she leaned on him, "if I didn't have her to look after I'd kick your ass so hard you'll be farting out your mouth,"

Purdy ignored the threat, instead marching towards the forest with the clan cats in tow. The ShadowClan apprentice decided to stay behind along with Crowpaw and Feathertail to watch over Tawnypelt as the other went on ahead to find something to ease her pain.

"You feeling alright?" The brown tabby asked, grave concern in his voice. Despite all the abilities he had, he felt powerless.

"I'm fine, I just can't-" the tawny she-cat gasped as he tried to walk on her infected leg, "walk on it," she grimaced.

"Woah there, easy," David soothed, laying down Tawnypelt gently, "hang tight, you're gonna be fine," he reassured.

Tawnypelt stared up at the apprentice, taken back by this more caring side of him, "Sparkpaw, I..."

"I got burdock root!" Squirrelpaw exclaimed, bounding over with the medicimal herbs in her mouth.

David wrapped her in a crushing embrace, "Squirrelpaw, ya beautiful ginger dork!" he cried, "you're a life saver," he gave a whoop of relief. Crowpaw wolf-whistled at the sight, causing both cats to glare.

"Um, t-thanks," Squirrelpaw wheezed sheepishly, blushing madly. She left the ShadowClan cat's bear hug and immediately went to treating Tawnypelt's wounds. Afterwards, the cats set off for the sundrown place after bidding Purdy farewell - or hurling one last insult at him, in David's case.

Princess decided she had enough of this adventure, and asked Purdy if he could take her home and he agreed. The cats bidded farewell to her too, but she asked Coldpaw to stay for a brief moment before he left with the others.

"Why can't you come with us?" The RiverClan cat inquired.

"This is too much for me," the house cat stated, "I thought this would just be something simple, not something life threatening," she sighed, "I'm declawed too, I'm useless to fight,"

"So you're going home?" Coldpaw asked, "but, that means-"

"I know," Princess soothed, "Coldpaw, I love you but I don't want the life of a clan cat," she mewed. Coldpaw nodded, looking at the ground, "but, can you promise me one thing?" she asked.

"Anything," The Russian mewed.

"Please be my mate, no matter how far away you are," the tabby she-cat asked, scooting closer to him.

"Of course," Coldpaw promised, the couple shared one last kiss and embrace. The RiverClan cat soon left, catching up with the others. He would keep his promise, it was the least he could do.

Soon, they found themselves staring out into a vast expanse of blue. The sea. They were finally here. The metahumans immediately became disturbed, the words of those in their dreams playing out.

 _"Evan, love! You're alive! You're really alive!"_

 _"(Lautrec, my boy, I'm so glad to see you safe!)"_

 _"D-Dave? Holy shit man, you're alive!"_

 _"(Ivan! We thought you were gone! You had us so worried!")_

They all repressed the thought. It was a dream, nothing else. Slowly, they began to scale down the rocky face, taking great care not to fall into the freezing depths. Until the rocks Brambleclaw was treading on gave way, sending him plummeting into the cold water.

The others gasped, watching as he writhed in the water. Stormfur and Squirrelpaw immediately lept into action, swimming for the brown tabby while the others watched. They immediately headed for the cave.

"Thank God that wasn't me who fell in, would've lit those two up like a Christmas tree," David muttered. He didn't know how fully water affected him, but he remembered how taking a shower as a human left him feeling like he had an electric shock. He had no intention of finding out what the sea would do to him.

They entered the cave, it was small, long, and barren, tiny stalactites and stalagmites hung or rose from the rocky surfaces. Although, the most interesting thing was the badger, seemingly sorting herbs.

"What the actual-" Sunpaw started.

"-Greetings," the Badger said, not looking away from her herbs, "I am Midnight, and I know what you're here for," Midnight stated. The cats just stared in shock, this was Midnight? A talking badger?

"Follow me," she commanded, padding further into the cave. She began treating Tawnypelt's injury.

"So why did we have to come all the way out here to get a message?" Brambleclaw asked.

"The clans must understand the importance of trust and cooperation if you wish to survive the destruction of your home by twolegs," Midnight explained, "you must find new territories, and only a dying warrior will show you the way,"

The cats gave each other weary looks. Smokepaw and Crowpaw immediately began fearing for Feathertail, they caught eyes and gave each other a small nod. Neither of them would let her be harmed.

"There are some mountains ahead with unoccupied territory on the other side, it should suit your needs," the badger stated. The cats dipped their heads in thanks and set off for these new territories.

New territories, and a strange new prophecy. For the metahumans, the road only got more dangerous from here.


	19. Chapter 19

The cats, after finding Midnight, had set off for home, deciding to inform the clans they needed to find new territories first rather than later. The talking badger accompanied them to edge of the forest close to the shore.

They had been reunited with Purdy and Princess too. The air between the house cat and Coldpaw soon became awkward, and he soon set off to hunt along with some other cats. Crowpaw asked Feathertail to hunt with him, which caused Smokepaw and Stormfur to frown deeply. Both for the same reason - they didn't like how close the two cats were getting.

The RiverClan tom was thinking about what would happen to his sister if word got around RiverClan that Feathertail had been seeing someone outside the clan. It would be a disaster for the both of them. Stormfur knew Coldpaw was guilty of the same crime, but he was smart enough to cut his relationship off soon after it became public.

Smokepaw, however, disliked that his competitor was winning. He wanted to be Feathertail's one and only. But she had given him hugs, she had been delighted to see him safe, listened intently to his story of his and the other metahumans fight against BloodClan. She must like him back, shouldn't she?

After their brief hunt, the cats began debating whether to go back through the twoleg place or through the mountains in the distance. The metahumans -especially David- had vouched to go back through the twoleg place.

"I'd rather than get ran over than freeze to death," The ShadowClan tom argued, "and guess what? One of us gets hurt, whelp," he shrugged, "we're fucked,"

"But what about BloodClan?" Squirrelpaw reminded, "they'll be looking for revenge," she held a deep worry in her green eyes, "I don't want to see you hurt,"

The brown tabby immediately felt at his wound with his tail, feeling the rough texture of the scab in it's place. He was somewhat taken by surprise by the she-cat's concern. He was used to being encouraged by friends to actively seek out fights, or to defend himself in Allen's case.

But to hear someone tell him not to because he might get hurt? It felt alien to him, "fine," he sighed.

"I think it's a bad idea," Smokepaw frowned, "we don't know our way through the mountains, but we _do_ know our way through the-"

"-Smokepaw, we almost lost you through the twoleg place," Feathertail mewed, "please, I don't want to lose you again," she placed her tail tip on his shoulder.

The Frenchman froze up, his heart pounding as his face began to heat up. He averted her gaze, feeling guilty for making her stress over him, "(sorry,)" he muttered. The grey tom had found out that whenever he got flustered, he started talking in his native tongue again.

Then cats then decided to scale the mountains rather than go through the twoleg places. They bidded farewell to Purdy, Princess, and, Midnight as they headed for the mountains. Coldpaw gave one last goodbye to the house cat, keeping his promise in mind.

The cats began their journey to and ascent up the rocky face of the mountain. The trek was tedious, with them scaling slippery and loose rocks as they ascended with nature practically telling them to turn back with frigid, oppressive winds and dropping temperatures.

The ten cats kept as close to the rocky walls as they could to prevent them plummeting down to their deaths. Sunpaw was practically clinging to the rocky wall like a kit to his mother.

"C'mon, Sunpaw, it's fine," Squirrelpaw reassured, stomping on the rocks to prove her point, "see?" she mewed.

The gold tom warily strayed from the comfort on the mountain face. David shoved him, but not enough to send him over the edge, only enough to make him stumble. The ThunderClan apprentice immediately shrieked, darting back to mountain side. His face went a deep red as he heard David, Squirrelpaw, and the others, laugh.

"Saved your life," David snorted, padding ahead while chuckling to himself. Squirrelpaw gave a small giggle at Sunpaw's reaction.

"Arsehole," The gold tom muttered, glaring daggers at the brown tabby. He steadily removed himself from the rocky wall, taking slow and deliberate steps. He bloody hated heights.

Soon they found themselves trudging through barren snowfields on the top of the mountain surrounded by a light snowfall. The glacial winds were near unbearable for the cats, shivering as snow landed on their pelts. The only two unaffected were Sunpaw and Coldpaw. Seemingly, their powers giving them a natural resistance to the cold.

"Why did I fucking agree to this?" David hissed through gritted teeth, he shivered as the bitter wind ripped through his pelt.

"I knew we should have went through the twoleg place," Smokepaw grumbled, he pressed against Feathertail, who was also shivering, in an attempt to warm them both up.

"Thank you," Feathertail purred, appreciating the warmth. A sincere smile tugged at the WindClan tom's mouth while Crowpaw glared at him. Smokepaw ignored his friend's stare. He loved Feathertail - they both did, but she was driving a wedge between them unwittingly.

The grey tom decide he would talk to him in private, just to tell him that they shouldn't let their affection for the pretty silver she-cat drive them apart. A distant screech suddenly sounded, the shivering cats looked around for the source.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Sunpaw asked, unlike the others he wasn't shaking. He thought it was hardly cold despite the snow colliding with him or the frigid winds blowing his pelt in whatever direction it pleased.

Something large and brown suddenly slammed into the ground beside him and retreated into the air just as quickly, "Jesus Christ!" he yowled, jumping back. Squirrelpaw immediately went to check if her friend was alright.

"What _was_ that?" Stormfur asked, searching in the sky for the mysterious assailant.

"Dunno, think it was an eagle," David commented, suddenly ducking as the bird of prey suddenly swooped for him, "son of a bitch!" he yelped. The cats immediately began sprinting, ducking as the eagles dived for them and changing directions randomly to confuse the birds of prey.

They yelp and hissed anytime the raptors swooped down for them. But they continued to sprint and they never stopped, their quick thinking leaving them all unharmed. What appeared to be a ravine came into view as they all ran forward.

"Are we jumping?" Stormfur asked. He watched as Squirrelpaw lept seamlessly onto the other side.

"We're jumping," Crowpaw deadpanned, he ran ahead and vaulted over the chasm. One by one, the others made it to the other side; Brambleclaw, David, Tawnypelt, Feathertail, Stormfur, Smokepaw, and David. The only one left to jump was Sunpaw.

The gold tom suddenly skidded to a halt at the edge, immediately backing away. "C'mon, jump!" David urged. Sunpaw reluctantly nodded, he took several steps back, ran forward, and lept into the air.

Just as he was about to land, one of the eagles dived in and scratched at his flank. The bird's momentum forced the Brit's hind legs to be thrown to the side and causing all those present to gasp in horror, only his head and forelegs making it onto the other side.

Despite his claws grip on the stone, the ThunderClan apprentice began to slip. A look of immense fear plastered onto his face as he desperately attempted to grip at something. Coldpaw immediately rushed to his aid, gripping his scruff and hoisting him onto the sturdy rock.

"Sunpaw, are you okay?" Squirrelpaw asked, immense worry and panic in her voice.

Sunpaw's blue eyes darted around until they landed on the ginger she-cat, "what... what happened?" he asked breathlessly.

"Take deep breaths, you're going into shock," Brambleclaw mewed.

The apprentice did as he was told, slowing his breathing until he calmed down, "f-fuck me," he groaned, "my life flashed before my eyes there,"

"How was it?" Squirrelpaw asked intently, a morbid curiosity forcing her to question her friend. After all, it wasn't common to hear someone make such a statement and actually mean it.

"Boring," The ThunderClan apprentice deadpanned.

The cats continued onwards, the bitter winds having calmed down. The Soon found themselves climbing higher, soon coming across a river than ran through the snow blanketed mountains.

Feathertail got too close to the rushing water, gasping as she almost fell in. Crowpaw acted quickly, pulling her back by the scruff of her neck. The silver she-cat slumped onto her flank, breathing heavily.

"T-thank you," she mewed, still recovering from her near fall.

"N-no problem," the smokey grey tom shrugged, blushing heavily.

Sunpaw nudged David as they all stood on the river's edge, the ShadowClan cat let out a shocked gasp as his body unwillingly moved closer to the water. He turned to glare at the sniggering Briton, "what the hell was that for?" he hissed.

"Saved your life," Sunpaw smirked.

The brown tabby opened his mouth to threaten his friend, but was stopped short by the sound of a distant rumble. All ten cats turned to look at each other, perplexed, "um, was that an avalanche?" Smokepaw asked wearily.

Before any of them could answer, they were suddenly swept into the freezing cold river. They all let out yowls of surprises. Every cat was struggling to stay above water, their heads bobbing under the water as the current tried to pull them under.

The sounds of rushing water suddenly filled Smokepaw's ears. A waterfall. It would be a miracle if anyone survived the plummet, this is how they would die. He had to tell Feathertail how he really felt before they passed onto the other side.

"Feathertail?" He called desperately.

"S-Smokepaw!" She responded shakily.

"I-I just want you to know that... that I lo-" The grey tom's statement was cut short as he was flung down the waterfall, plummeting to his assumed demise. The others soon followed, yowling and screaming for their lives.

Then, everything went black.

David was slowly brought back to reality, his aching body reminding him that he was still alive. He was in agony, his muscles spasmed uncontrollably and he felt like he was covered in searing burns. The brown tabby felt like he had been electrocuted. A sudden thought came to his head, had he killed the others when he entered the water? Electricity and water didn't mix, the same went for him.

His eyes immediately snapped open, searching for smouldering corpses floating in the water. To the tabby's relief, the other cats were alive and slowly dragging themselves onto dry land. The American struggled to even drag himself onto dry land completely, his muscles jerking irregularly as he attempted in vain.

"A little help here?" David croaked.

Tawnypelt came to his aid, dragging him out of the pool they had landed in and allowing him to lean against her. The cats went to continue onwards, but stopped as the spotted other cats.

These cats were thin, much more thinner than even Smokepaw. Peculiarly, their pelts were streaked with mud. They approached the weakened clan cats, showing no signs of aggression.

"You lot took quite a fall there," A brown-furred tom spoke, his voice holding a Welsh accent.

"Whoever you mud warriors are, know that we're still more than a match for you," Tawnypelt hissed, taking a protective step in front on David. The other cats got ready to fight, even if they were weak and disoriented.

"You sure about that?" A grey tabby she-cat challenged, "none of you look in the condition to fight, especially your friend back there," she mewed, pointing at the seizing ShadowClan apprentice.

"Yeah? Well... your mom," David retorted weakly, he took a step forward and stumbled, his muscles still spasmed.

The mud-covered cats looked at the brown tabby with pity, "look, you lot need help, and if you come with us you can get it," the tom from before offered.

"And who are you then?" Brambleclaw challenged.

"Us?" The tom responded, the looked at his companions, "she's Mist Where Sunlight Shimmers," he stated, pointing at the grey tabby she-cat.

"I'm Brook Where Small Fish Swim," a quiet brown tabby she-cat introduced.

"And I'm Crag Where Eagles Nest," Crag introduced, "we're cats of the Tribe of Rushing Water,".

"Your names are too bloody long," Sunpaw commented.


	20. Chapter 20

The Tribe of Rushing Water cats signalled the clan cats to follow and they obliged. There was no point in resisting; they had no clue where they were and they had been weakened from their plummet from the waterfall, especially David and Tawnypelt.

The ShadowClan apprentice had been completely shaken up by the drop, spasms were now a common tick for him. He complained regularly about being in pain, feeling as if his body was seared with agonising burns.

Tawnypelt comforted him whenever such pain would arise, despite the wound in her shoulder's throbbing pain. While the tawny she-cat was greatly concerned, Squirrelpaw would immediately rush to David's side at even the smallest of whimpers.

Sunpaw raised an eyebrow as the ginger she-cat rushed to the brown tabby everytime he began having spasms or groaned in pain. It was unnatural to see her like this. Squirrelpaw could be caring, yes, she was concerned when he sprained his paw during training, but this was something else. The gold tom shrugged, why should he care?

But David's health was a worrisome predicament. Why was he in such a state? The rest of them were fine now, had he slammed against some rocks during the fall? Couldn't have, he would be dead.

Then the realisation hit Sunpaw like a freight train - electricity. The ShadowClan apprentice could generate electricity, like a living battery. He must have 'short circuited' in the water.

The ThunderClan apprentice realised the water could have affected him too, seeing as fire and water didn't go together. While no one was looking, he tried to ignite his paw, only to be met with a small, faint trail of smoke coming from his paw. He frowned, hopefully they would be no need to use their powers.

"So, does your tribe have a medicine cat?" Tawnypelt asked, letting David lean on her for support.

"What's a medicine cat?" Crag inquired.

"A cat that deals with herbs," Squirrelpaw responded, cocking her head to the side. Did these cats not have someone to take care of the sick? Or did they go by another title?

"Oh that?" The brown tom responded, "we call them Stonetellers, they lead the tribe," he explained.

Relief swept through the clan cats they could have their injured cats treated. Sunpaw wasn't aware of how close Mist Where Sunlight Shimmers was to him, their pelts almost brushing.

"Your friend's accent reminds me of someone I know," the grey tabby she-cat mewed to him.

"Hm? Which one?" Sunpaw mewed, his ears picking up. There was another metahuman? But a sudden dread and anxiety filled his being, it could be him. The one who killed them.

"The brown tabby, the sick one," Mist replied, holding a look of pity in her eyes as she watched as the ShadowClan apprentice stumble again.

"Oh, and what are they like?" The gold tom questioned, trying to mask his panic with interest.

"He's an introvert, I think he's just shy," the tribe cat mewed, "it's a shame too, he's really handsome," she muttered quietly.

The gold tom let out a small sigh of relief. That couldn't be him.

The cats continued onwards, the tribe cats showing keen interest in Stormfur. None of the had a clue why, but it could detrimental to their journey. Soon, the tribe cats lead them to a waterfall, mist clouding the surrounding area as sounds of rushing water filled their ears.

Their path curved behind the waterfall and disappeared behind it. The tribe cats beckoned them to follow, padding along the winding path. The clan cats gave one another the side glance before following.

Once they walked behind the waterfall and into the mouth of the cave the Tribe of Rushing Water called home, they soon found the Tribe was no different from the clans. The camp was the cavern itself, with other smaller caverns operating as dens, there was fresh-kill pile and a large, jutting rock in the centre.

The metahumans weren't impressed, after finding talking cats had four clans it wasn't truly possible to top it. For the clan cats, it was strange, they were unaware of anything similar to their own clans had existed. Until now, that is.

Tribe cats watched with curiosity and hostility in their eyes for these ten strangers that had appeared in their home. Soon, an old, scarred brown tabby clambered on top of the jutting rock. He stared down at the cats with a scrutinising gaze. Must be The Stoneteller.

"Crag Where Eagles Nest, who are these cats?" Stonteller demanded gruffly.

"They're in need of help, Stoneteller," Crag explained, dipping his head respectfully.

The Tribe leader studied the cats, deciding whether to send them off to fend for themselves or assist them. His eyes fell on a weakened David and Tawnypelt, Squirrelpaw at brown tabby's side.

"Alright," Stoneteller mewed, "bring them to me and I'll see what I can do," he ordered, climbing down the rock.

The clan cats let out a sigh of relief, the two ShadowClan cats hobbling towards Stoneteller. Squirrelpaw followed, allowing David to lean against her for support. Brambleclaw leered at the ThunderClan apprentice, he didn't approve of how close those two were getting.

Sunpaw caught the warrior's glare, "don't worry he's not interested," he assured.

"And what about her?" Brambleclaw snorted.

"She was like that with me when I got a nasty scrape," the gold tom shrugged. He may have had his suspicions at first, but it seemed unlikely. David had considered Smokepaw's interest in Feathertail wrong, he doubt he would be such a hypocrite, and Squirrelpaw didn't mind breaking the code, but not to that severity.

"Keep an eye on them," The brown tabby ordered, before walking off.

Sunpaw snorted in response, he padded away to explore the cave. There wasn't anything too special, all of the dens were the same as the clan's version, only nests had an added addition of feathers in them for comfort.

Some of the cats in the dens would give him a greeting. Star That Shines On Water, a young kit-mother, was particularly friendly to the gold tom. While they chatted, her two kits began pouncing on his tail.

He turned to face them, watching as they squealed and ran off. He gave chase, listening to the kits squeak in excitement as he pursued them. For the first time since he got here, he felt normal.

He didn't feel like a freak who could set himself on fire, he didn't feel like the unlucky sod who died and became a cat, he felt like a normal teenaged boy. People were always banging on about being special, but this is something he would rather be. An average, mundane human.

The kits soon became tired out, resting by their mother's side. Star looked up at him warmly, "thank you for keeping them occupied, they were needing the exercise," she purred.

"It's nothing," Sunpaw shrugged.

"Hm, does a handsome tom like yourself have a mate?" The blue-grey she-cat inquired, her blue eyes full of curiosity.

Sunpaw's face immediately lit up like a match, blushing furiously, "um, n-no... why ask?" he retorted. Was she flirting with him? With her children right beside her too.

Star immediately picked up on the gold tom's embarrassment, "I have my own mate, don't worry," she laughed, "I was just wondering, if you don't have a mate do you at least like someone?" she asked.

The ThunderClan apprentice's blush because less intense, "yes, I do," he responded. Butterflies began running rampant in his stomach as he thought of Leafpaw, her beautiful amber orbs and soft fur running through his mind as he thought of her, "her name's Leafpaw," he added.

"Aww," the mother cooed, "well, I hope you two become mates," she purred. Her own mate padded up to her, purring as they pressed their noses together. Sunpaw let out a soft purr at the scene, imagining that it was himself and Leafpaw.

He padded away, the butterflies in his stomach intensifing as a smile tugged at his lips. He wondered how Leafpaw was coping without him for a brief moment. _She's fine_ , he told himself.

 **...**

David rested as Stoneteller attempted to heal him, tired and irritated. It had been easy for Tawnypelt, who's rat bite had been treated and she was to merely rest for the time being, while his were a different story.

Thw Tribe leader apologised to him, proclaiming there was nothing he could do other than give him herbs to numb the burning sensation he felt. The ShadowClan apprentice consumed the herbs, relief swept over him as the pain ceased. Unfortunately, his spasms continued.

David curled up in his moss and feather nest, writhing randomly. Tawnypelt watched him, pity and concern in her green orbs. How could such a hardy cat be reduced to a quivering mess?

"Sparkpaw, are you feeling okay?" The tawny she-cat asked.

"I'm fine," he muttered, curling up into tight ball. He felt completely drained of energy, like a dead battery. He heard a soft 'thud', looking up he found Squirrelpaw looking down, an eagle at her paws.

"I thought you might be hungry," she mewed, nudging the bird of prey forward.

David opened his mouth to thank her, but someone caught his eye. A black cat, placing an eagle on top of the fresh kill pile, the cat caught the brown tabby's gaze with his own leaf green eyes.

Everything grew distant, David's eyes widening. Memories of the alley back in Detroit forcing their way to the forefront of his mind. That was him. That was the man who murdered him.

The murderer seemed to recognise his last target, leering back with a cold anger. His shadow stretched, now more fitting for an unnaturally long and tall cat. But the killer never attacked, only using his shadow to make a silent threat.

David's final words - his promise, sounded in his head, _If I see you again, I'll kill you._ The brown tabby never forgot, and he would see it through.


	21. Chapter 21

"...How did they say we bring it down?" Sunpaw inquired, watching the eagle that soared above. Apparently, the Tribe of Rushing Water's food source were the birds of prey that almost cost the Brit his life.

Coldpaw didn't reply, trying to remind himself about the technique the Tribe had used. But it escaped his grasp despite it being shown to them the day before, the long furred cat sighed. Now what? He watched the eagle fly above, the Russian leered as it flapped in front of the sun then allowed it's rays to reach their eyes. It gave him an idea.

The RiverClan apprentice turned to his friend, "I have an idea," he stated.

"Okay, so what do we do?" The ThunderClan apprentice questioned.

"You can still use your powers, can't you?" The Russian mewed. He wasn't too sure if the smaller, younger cat could. His ability to conjure fire had been snuffed out by either water or the cold, perhaps both.

Sunpaw lifted his paw, holding it in the air. The duo watched as it sparked before struggling to ignite before it soon became an incandescent flame, as strong as ever. "Yeah, they're back," Sunpaw smiled.

Coldpaw let out a sigh of relief, not realising he had held his breath, "I need you to extinguish and relight it as quickly as you can. Hopefully, it will bring the eagle down," he explained.

The gold cat paled as his pupils dilated, "I can't, that bloody rat with wings will kill me!" he protested. Sunpaw didn't want a live eagle anywhere near him, not after one almost killed him.

"I won't let it hurt you, I promise," The grey tom reassured, placing his tail tip on the younger cat's shoulder. The ThunderClan apprentice took in a deep inhale through his nose and nodded.

The RiverClan cat smiled, he ran off and hid himself between a few rocks. He watched as Sunpaw set his paw alight, extinguished it, then reignited it in rapid succession. The golden cat soon began slowly hobbling backwards on on his three unoccupied paws before jumping back, cursing as the bird slammed into the ground he was once standing.

Coldpaw wasted no time before coming from behind the rocks and pouncing onto the eagle. It screeched, writhing in the cat's grasp before pecking just above the hunter's eye, causing him to let go in fear of losing his eye. The bird of prey squawked, retreating into the air.

The grey tom cussed the bird in his native tongue, swiping at a few small stones. As he did, both cats were taken by surprise as a blanket of rime and frost quickly spread in a sloppy lane. Seconds later, the frost disappeared in a small, frigid explosion.

"(Holy hell)" Coldpaw muttered, blue eyes wide.

"I... didn't know you could do that," Sunpaw commented.

"Neither did I," the grey tom responded.

Soon, the dust settled and revealed the rocks were left unscathed. Coldpaw felt slightly disappointed, he couldn't get a gauge of the harm it did. If it actually did damage or not, for all he knew it was something he could use as a distraction rather than an offensive technique.

"Little underwhelming, eh?" Sunpaw mewed, nudging the other cat.

"Somewhat," Coldpaw admitted.

The two clan cats proceeded to make their journey back to the Tribe of Rushing Water's cave. As they approached the cave mouth, a black cat padded by them, most likely out for a hunt.

The ThunderClan apprentice had seen him around, but he didn't try talk to the tribe cat. There was something off about that tom - something familiar too. Sunpaw remembered what David had said, about eyes telling the truth, but he didn't want to appear as if he was staring at him. At first, he thought it was the murderer from the old munitions factory. But after hearing Mist talk about him, it seemed that he was just a reclusive cat.

The entered the cave and went their seperate ways. Sunpaw spied David and Squirrelpaw sharing an eagle. He smiled to himself, the brown tabby had recovered fully since his initial 'short circuit'. But, according to the American, he couldn't use his powers at all.

Sunpaw soon found Feathertail and Crowpaw chatting before heading out to presumably hunt. He noticed Smokepaw watching, concern in his amber eyes. The gold tom caught his friend's attention, then signalled him to follow him. He needed to have a word with him.

The two cats soon found a spot within the cave, isolated from the rest of the tribe. The WindClan apprentice sat down, his tail curling around his paws. "What's wrong?" he asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"It's about Feathertail," Sunpaw stated, his expression serious.

Smokepaw frowned, "what?" he urged, "spit it out," the grey tom's paws seemed to become partially enveloped in smoke.

"Let me rephrase," the gold tom backtracked, "I mean this is about you," he mewed. Sunpaw had no intention of trying to start a fight, the memory of getting smacked in the face by what was essentially a bullet of smoke still fresh in his mind.

The WindClan apprentice faltered for a second, "what about me?" he inquired in a defensive tone.

Sunpaw sighed, "look, I know you love Feathertail and Crowpaw does too," he continued, "and I want you to get with her - you deserve it after the shit we've been through," the gold tom flicked his tail in a somewhat anxious manner.

Smokepaw felt touched, gaining a new respect for the younger cat. The grey tom had thought they all had disapproved of his affection for thr pretty silver she-cat. It was nice to know at least someone approved of it.

"But, if she doesn't like you back, don't take it out on her or Crowpaw," the Brit warned, "and don't get too attached either, don't turn into Ivan,"

The Frenchman swallowed the lump in his throat, averting Sunpaw's gaze. He could recall how the Russian struggled to move on from a failed relationship, moping about it and refusing to find another partner. Until Princess came along. He didn't want to turn into that.

"I'll tell her," Smokepaw muttered under his breath.

"What's that?" Sunpaw inquired.

"I'll tell her," he repeated, much more clearly.

"Hope it goes well," The ThunderClan apprentice smiled, placing his tail tip on his shoulder, "I've got a bird I like top, her name's Leafpaw and she's..." the tom paused, looking for the right word. "What do you call stripey cats?" he asked.

"Tabbies," The Frenchman replied, amusement in his voice, "the only reason I know that is because I used to have a tabby she-cat before..." Smokepaw shook his head, "it doesn't matter," he mewed.

"Uh-huh. Well, if both get rejected we'll get some ice cream tubs and wallow in self pity together, eh?" Sunpaw laughed.

Suddenly two kits, a brown tabby tom and blue-grey she-kit, bounded over to the two cats and began demanding Sunpaw play with them.

"Please, Sunpaw, play with us!" The brown tabby, named Dust That Drifts Through Wind, begged.

"You promised us!" The blue-grey she-kit, named Rain That Falls in Storm, reminded.

Sunpaw turned to Smokepaw, "good luck." he smiled. He then turned his attention to the kits, chasing after them as they squealed in delight. The WindClan cat watched briefly as the Brit began play-fighting with the two kits. He smiled, that was the first time he had actually seen Sunpaw genuinely happy.

The WindClan apprentice turned and padded away, looking to find someone to talk to. Over the next few hours, the metahumans were left to their own devices. Sunpaw continued to act as Dust and Rain's older brother. David and Squirrelpaw did their own thing - which mostly consisted of annoying Brambleclaw. While Smokepaw and Coldpaw conversated with each other and the other clan cats.

Both ShadowClan cats decided they were well enough to leave. The clan cats then bidded the Tribe of Rushing Water cats farewell and thanked them for their hospitality before heading for the mouth of the cave, only to be cut off by several cave guards.

"What the fuck? Let us through!" David demanded.

"You cannot leave," Stoneteller called. He signalled the cave guards with a flick of his tail. Instantly, the tribe cat began ushering them into a smaller cave within the camp.

The rocks inside this smaller cave seemed to form a path with water flowing on either side. At the end of the cave sat a massive, jutting rock. Rays of sunlight bathed the stone, signifying a hole in cave's roof.

"Why can't we leave? Explain!" Brambleclaw demanded.

"You cannot leave because the silver cat is among you," The scarred brown tom stated, "the cat prophecised to slay Sharptooth and save our tribe," he elaborated.

"What? Feathertail?" Tawnypelt inquiried. Stormfur, Smokepaw, and Crowpaw immediately froze up. They scooted closer to the RiverClan she-cat, almost forming a protective barrier. Feathertail rolled her eyes in response, yet a small smile tugged at her lips. The gesture was sweet, but unnecessary.

"What? No. It's Stormfur," Stoneteller corrected.

Stormfur's amber eyes widened as the others gasped, "me? Y-you're making a mistake," he stammered.

"Someone's gone senile," Smokepaw mused in a sing-song voice, only loud enough for Feathertail to hear. She let out a small purr at his comment while Crowpaw let out a low growl.

The leader of the Tribe padded up to the dark grey tom, staring down at him, "I am not, _you_ are the silver cat and _you_ are the one who is to slay Sharptooth," he insisted in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What about them?" The RiverClan warrior demanded, taking a step forward, "what about my clanmates?". The cave guards, who had been docile previously, hissed and took a step forward.

Squirrelpaw noticed that a strange shadow lay at Stormfur's paws. It appeared to be the shadow of a tail that ended in a sharp point, she followed the shadow to it's source. It seemed to belong to a lean black cat, leering at Stormfur with cold green eyes. But, curiously enough, his tail already had a shadow.

"They can leave," Stoneteller replied gruffly, "but you must stay," he then turned to the clan cats, all of them glaring at him. But he did not falter, "you leave in the morning, say any longer and you will be forced out," he threatened.

The clan cats were then ushered out of the cave, several tribe members giving them looks of curiosity or confusion, but none spoke up. David, Crowpaw, and Brambleclaw began grumbling to themselves, muttering curses aimed at the old cat.

Rain bounded over to Sunpaw, "what's wrong, big brother?" she squeaked, big blue eyes full of curiosity.

Sunpaw's features softened, "it's nothing, love," he assured, giving her a quick, small lick on the head, "now go on and get your brother," the gold tom mewed. The little she-kit nuzzled him before scrambling to play with her brother.

"Aww," Squirrelpaw purred, "she thinks you're her big brother," she exclaimed.

"Oh, bugger off." The ThunderClan apprentice grumbled, embarrassed.

The next day came and early in the morning the clan cats were escorted to the edge of the Tribe of Rushing Water's territory by Crag Where Eagles Nest, another cave guard, and the same black cat from before. Without Stormfur to accompany them.

"Stormfur can return when Sharptooth's dead," Crag promised, before turning away and heading back for his cave home. The other cave guard followed but the black tom stayed.

The clan cats had also left, going to hunt for breakfast. But David remained, glaring up at his murderer. His final word replayed through his mind like clockwork. The two cats leered, both stood as still as the stones that surrounded them.

"Remember my promise?" he snarled, unsheathing his claws. The brown tabby knew he was playing a very dangerous game, he didn't have his powers and he only got lucky the first time. He could very well die but his pride told him he couldn't let someone hurt him and get away with it.

Honestly, the ShadowClan cat was fully aware his powers were the reason he actually put a dent in the murderer the first time. It's pretty hard to dodge something that moved at the speed of light - even the black tom had trouble previously.

"I remember an empty threat," The murderer retorted, narrowing his eyes.

David snarled, charging for the tribe cat. He leaped up onto the rocks his opponent was standing on, swiping for his face. The metahuman dodged backwards, a large spike protruding from his shadow.

The ShadowClan apprentice side stepped, feeling the strands of fur on his face becoming shorter as the phantom spear gazed his pelt without harming him. "I'm gonna neuter you." David snapped, landing a blow on his opponent's shoulder.

Things would be different this time around. He now had formal training rather than just aiming for his opponent's face or torso and hoping he'd hit hard enough. David knew what he was doing.

The black cat grunted and retaliated by colliding his forehead with David's muzzle. The ShadowClan apprentice tumbled down the rocks but was soon back on his feet, a droplet of blood trickling from his nose.

He jumped down from his position on the rock, landing before David. The brown tabby never realised how big his murderer was, nearly the size of Ivan. The ShadowClan cat went to swipe at the tom's face, but his paw was grabbed by a shadow-like tendril.

David ignored his now restrained foreleg, opting to use his free one. The two cats stood, the ShadowClan cat attempting to give his murderer something to remember him by and the black tom attempted to parry the blows while simultaneously land a few of his own.

The ShadowClan cat raked his claws down his enemy's muzzle. The murderer stumbled back, shaking his head as blood welled from the wound and dripped onto the stones. David smirked, but it soon turned to an expression of panic as the shadow restricting his paw flung him into the air and slammed him against the ground.

David gasped as the air escaped his lungs, becoming disoriented and reeling back from the unexpected attack. He struggled to his paws, looking up at his killer. His prideful nature forced him to pretend that the pain was nothing - that it only tickled.

The murderer loomed over him, his shadow expanding into black tendrils reaching towards the sky. A heartbeat later, they lunged for the brown tabby. David scrambled away, hearing as the phantom limbs impaled into the stone.

David leaped behind the cover of a boulder, hearing as the last shadow impacted the rock where he was once standing. He looked to his right, expecting to see more shadows snaking around the corner, poised to kill, but there was nothing.

"Should've watched your flank," The tribe cat scolded. The ShadowClan cat spun around, ready to attack as a shadow collided with his face, sending him sprawling. He struggled to return to his feet before he was brought back to the ground by a shadow wrapped firmly around his neck.

"You're going to be a pain for us," The black tom started, a cool tone in his words. David struggled helplessly, growling and snarling. He wouldn't die like some animal caught in a trap. "There's three more of you anyway - you're expendable." he mewed as if it was a matter-of-fact.

A shade rose from the murderer's shadow, forming a tendril with a sharp beak. It became poised to kill, like the stinger of a scorpion. David screwed his eyes shut, thinking of his family, Blackstar and Tawnypelt, the other metahumans, and Squirrelpaw.

But the pain never came, the shadow's grip around his neck loosed and he heard his would-be murderer back away. The brown tabby scrambled to his paws, turning to face the black cat as air returned to his lungs.

"Yessir." The cat mewed curtly, a cold look on his face as he backed into the shadows. The ShadowClan cat turned to what he was staring at, catching sight of the ghastly brown tabby cat, adored with scars and amber eyes like two small suns.

Tigerstar gave him a crooked grin as David's eyes widened. It all made sense. Tigerstar had ordered the black cat to murder him, to take him away from his home, his friends, his family. His eyes narrowed in rage and hatred. David would fry both of them first chance he got.

His assailant and the ex-ShadowClan leader seemed to disappear, leaving David to process the events that had just transpired. A single question gnawed at his mind, why was he still alive?

He didn't have much time to ponder further as he heard the others returning from the hunt. The tabby heard Squirrelpaw calling for him. He padded out from behind the rock, attempting to limp as little as possible.

"I'm here," David called. He didn't know why, but something seemed different about the ginger she-cat. A strange feeling occupied his stomach, he attempted to ignore it but it only intensified as she bounded over to him.

"What were you behind the rock for?" The ThunderClan apprentice questioned, cocking her head slightly.

"Uh... just, y'know, looking at rocks and stuff," The ShadowClan cat replied, attempting to sound casual. It was taking him all he had to avoid her gaze, why couldn't he look at her? And why was his face so hot?

"Uh-huh," Squirrelpaw mewed, "yeah, well we're getting Stormfur back so let's go,". The ginger she-cat began to clamber the rocks the cats had descended from earlier, the rest soon followed.

The peculiar feeling within David calmed as the ginger she-cat walked off, yet it seemed to be replaced with disappointment. But he brushed his strange feelings aside, chalking it up to almost dying and just being glad he was still breathing.

The clan cats made their climb back to the Tribe of Rushing Water's cave, taking great care not to give themselves away. The cats reached the mouth of the cave by sunset and caught a glimpse of a large feline body slinking into the cave. The cave became alive with terrified yowls soon after.

"Is that-" Feathertail mewed.

"It's trouble is what it is, c'mon!" Brambleclaw urged.

The clan cats rushed towards the cave, darting into chaos and pandemonium within it's walls. Cats ran yowling for their lives and hiding wherever they could praying to whatever higher powers they worshipped.

The group got a full look of the Sharptooth. It was huge, with tan fur and green eyes full of hunger, the largest cat the clan cats had ever seen. It's massive paws, around the size of their heads, fell silently or perhaps the sound was drown out by the hysteria that surrounded it.

The massive beast appeared to searching for something, it's voracious eyes scanning the group of terrified cats. Despite the commotion that surrounded it, it was calm and carried itself in a methodical way. This wasn't Sharptooth's first time assaulting the Tribe of Rushing Water.

"It's a riot in here!" Smokepaw commented, stumbling as tribe cats bumped past him.

"Where's Stormfur?" Feathertail called. On que, the cat in question blitzed by following Stoneteller, "I found him!" the silver she-cat yowled triumphantly.

"Then let's get the fuck out!" David yowled heading for the cave's mouth. The clan cats followed suit, Stormfur now accompanying them. The cats scaled rocks and boulders, putting distance between them and the commotion. All of them were accounted for.

"Th-thank you," Stormfur huffed, regaining his breath.

The Sharptooth slipped out of the cave, carrying a blue grey cat in it's jaws. Sunpaw immediately recognised her, "Star!" he yowled. The young cat began to race after her, but was held back by Brambleclaw, Stormfur, and Coldpaw.

"No! What are you doing? Let me save her!" He begged, thrashing in the warriors' grip.

"She's gone, Sunpaw," The ThunderClan warrior soothed, "there's nothing we can do," he mewed.

"There is!" The golden cat retorted, "please! Let me save her!" he begged over and over. Writhing and thrashing more violently in their grip but soon becoming increasingly weaker before he gave up altogether.

The cats realised him, watching as he flopped onto the ground. Sobbing to himself and repeating the phrase, "she's gone," and "I'm so sorry Dust and Rain,". The clan cats looked down at him with pity, he had been the closest with Star. To see her meet such a horrible fate must be devastating for him.

But in his grieving, rage and hatred began to bubble within Sunpaw and was threatening to overflow. He would make that mangy, flee-ridden bastard burn.


	22. Chapter 22

Soon after Sunpaw stopped sobbing and calmed himself, rain began to fall. At first a light pitter-patter before coming down in full force. The cats grumbled, the sound of thunder rumbled in the colossal charcoal coloured clouds above.

Despite the bitter, cold rain, Sunpaw didn't move. The other metahumans had to coax him into moving. The ThunderClan reluctantly got up from the ground, trailing after the group with his tail dragging along the rocky ground.

The cats trudged through the rain in silence, the steady rainfall and thunder and lightning were the only sounds present. All of them were still reeling from what they had witnessed, especially the metahumans. They had never seen a demise so gruesome outside of slasher movies.

None of them dwelled on what the mountain lion was doing with the body - it was obvious. An animal so large wouldn't have a full stomach on just a few birds. It needed something that was larger with much easier access to. The Tribe of Rushing Water was an all you can eat buffet for the Sharptooth.

The night soon fell and combined with the thunderstorm it was impossible to see where they were headed. On top of the fact that none of them knew the territory well enough to know which direction their home lay it seemed that they were stuck in limbo.

David kept to himself as they trekked through the rain. His mind was still trying to piece together what happened between him and his murderer. He just couldn't see why the murderous black cat was assisting the tyrant. He wouldn't get anything he didn't already have.

Thunder rumbled close by, almost deafening the poor cats. "That was pretty close," Smokepaw muttered, as he did lightning flashed in the sky.

"This is getting us nowhere," Brambleclaw grumbled to himself, "Stormfur, take the lead, you know this territory better than us," the tabby ordered.

"Alright," Stormfur mewed, jogging to the front with Feathertail at his side. "Follow me," he called. The rest of the cats followed in silence, only Stormfur and Feathertail talking. Although none of them could hear what was being said, their expressions made it clear that the topic was grave.

Thunder once again roared in the sky, causing Coldpaw to jump. "(Holy hell), I thought thunder was supposed to be far away not right over us," he commented. Lightning struck a rock not too far from where the group stood, they jumped and yowled in surprise.

"Hurry up, Stormfur!" David urged. He realised that he had stuck to Squirrelpaw's side like glue due to the sudden and close lightning strike, their pelts mingling together. The brown tabby peeled himself off her side, blushing a deep scarlet.

The ginger she-cat blushed a light pink too, a small smile on her face. "Hey, David," she mewed, "see in the morning, would you like to go on a hunt?" Squirrelpaw inquiried.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," The ShadowClan cat muttered curtly. The strange feeling was back, his face began heat up again. Thunder rumbled in the sky, then a lightning bolt struck David. Every cat yowled in distress.

David stood, unaffected. He blinked in surprise, what just happened? "Uh. . .the fuck just happened?" he inquired, confusion in his blue eyes. He felt rejuvenated, hell, he felt better than he ever had in his entire life.

His body, which had been aching from his beating at the paws of his murderer, felt anything but sore. The weariness from their journey disappeared and was replaced by a feeling of refreshment, like he had slept in a nice, soft bed. David felt like a new person.

"Sparkpaw! Are you okay?" Tawnypelt panicked, rushing to the apprentice's side. Sunpaw and Squirrelpaw soon joined her.

"I'm fine," The ShadowClan cat shrugged, "in fact, I feel fuckin' amazing," he mewed. His pelt felt tingly, like small sparks were dancing over his skin. Excitement and relief ran through him - his powers were back.

Then it made sense. The tabby's powers acted like a battery, he could be drained of power or be short circuited. But he could be recharged, just like a dead phone could. Although, it seemed only water affected him rather than naturally running.

David briefly pondered if the lightning struck him by coincidence or if he attracted lightning. He would just have to wait until the next thunderstorm or when the next lightning bolt struck him.

"You sure? I mean, you just got struck by lightning," Squirrelpaw reminded, concerned that the shock had numbed the agony he was probably experiencing.

"Yeah, I'm good," The brown tabby grinned. The ThunderClan nodded reluctantly in agreement, he did seem unaffected - for now, anyways.

Soon, the group made it through the rain, dark, and thunder to the edge of the Tribe of Rushing Water's territory. A rabbit burrow was discovered and Tawnypelt entered to decide if it was safe, she returned and declared it safe.

The group entered one by one, relieved to be out of the heavy rain. The scent of tribe cats suddenly assaulted their noses. "And who might you be?" A male voice sounded, his Welsh accent confirmed that he was part of the tribe.

The clan cat's eye adjusted to the darkness and they were greeted with the forms of three cats. The first one was a massive, ragged brown tom with amber eyes along with a scar adoring the right side of his face.

The second one was a scrawny black tom, with green eyes and a stump for a tail. He had a light frame and was the shortest of the group, being dwarfed by the large tom and the she-cat beside him stood nearly a head taller than him.

The she-cat was a brown tabby she-cat with green eyes and of average height. Like the other two she had a glazed, tried look in her eyes. Whatever happened to the three tribe cats must have been something dreadful.

"We were about to ask you the same question," Brambleclaw retorted.

"I'm Talon of Swooping Eagle," Talon, the large ragged tom, introduced himself.

"Rock Beneath Still Water," Rock, the scrawny tom, mewed. He dipped his head slightly, almost as if he was giving a sarcastic bow.

"I'm Bird That Rides the Wind," Bird, the tabby she-cat, stated.

The clan cats then sounded off their own names, David using his birth name rather than his clan name, which Tawnypelt corrected. The two cats began to bicker about what name the tom was supposed to use.

"What happened to you?" Crowpaw inquiried, pointing at the large scar over Talon's face.

"Sharptooth happened," Rock answered, "he nearly had me too, how do you think I lost my tail?" he inquired, thumping his amputated tail against the ground.

"That's brutal," Smokepaw winced.

"Better than what happened to the others," the tribe cat muttered, "six of us were ordered to kill Sharptooth and we weren't to return until it was dead," he mewed, "well. . .we failed and we're exiled now," he gave a bitter chuckle.

"You can stay for tonight if you need," Bird offered, "there's plenty of room,"

The clan cats agreed to the tribe cat's offer and decided to stay for the night. The Thunderstorm outside cleared as the unrelenting rain outside began to become less extreme. Sunpaw stayed, curling up a tight ball in a far off corner with his back to everyone.

"What's wrong with you?" Bird asked.

The gold tom didn't respond, only curling up into an even tighter ball.

After a brief silence, the she-cat asked him a question, "did Sharptooth kill someone close to you?" she inquired, only loud enough for himself to hear. If that was the case, she didn't want him to feel embarrassed by asking him loud enough for the others to hear.

"Um-hum," Sunpaw grunted. He felt tears well in his eyes but he wouldn't cry. He had to be strong for Star's sake, "her name was Star," he mewed, slowly and quietly. The gold tom spoke like that whenever he was hurting.

"Star?" the tabby she-cat repeated, her eyes widened. Star That Shines on Water? The kit-mother? Pangs of grief and sorrow went through her chest, "I'm. . .sorry to hear that," she muttered quietly.

She was now beginning to reel from shock, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Bird gave the grieving tom a reassuring lick on the head, "but she's in a better place now, and she wouldn't want to see you so upset," she soothed.

Sunpaw sniffled, nodding his head in agreement and desperately trying not to sob. Bird left him alone, knowing he just wanted to be alone and went to talking to her ex-tribemates.

The golden tom calmed himself, thinking of Leafpaw. Her soft fur, her beautiful eyes, her sweet smile and gentle voice. Thinking of Leafpaw just made everything better for him - things were easier to cope with if he thought of her. Sunpaw smiled weakly, drifting off sleep.

Whilst the others were hunting David gathered Smokepaw and Coldpaw. They hid away behind several large rocks, after checking that none of the other clan cats had followed along the brown tabby turned to his two acquaintances, a solemn gaze in his eyes.

"Well? Is something wrong?" Coldpaw inquired.

"Hurry up already, I just want to go to sleep," Smokepaw grumbled, yawning for emphasis.

"You know the bastard that killed us?" David mewed.

The two cats looked at one another, concern and fear in their eyes. After a brief silence, the RiverClan cat answered, "what about him?" he grunted, on edge.

"He's here," The ShadowClan cat stated, "asshole almost killed me when you guys went out hunting," he hissed.

The pair's eyes widened as their mouths hung agape. Slowly, their expressions of shock slowly morphed into grim expressions, "I see," Coldpaw muttered, "that means he'll come for us too," he spoke.

"Let him," The WindClan cat grunted, "we're getting stronger, he won't know what hit him," he growled, swiping a smoke enveloped paw in the air and sending an orb of smoke hurling into a rock.

"Yes, but-" The Russian corrected.

"Lautrec's right, we've gotten pretty tough," David interrupted, "managed to get the fucker a few times - without my powers," he gloated, a smirk of confidence on his face.

Coldpaw just sighed, "I guess you're right," he grumbled. "But we need to tell Evan," he reminded, "he deserves to know,"

"Yeah but let him grieve for now," The ShadowClan cat grimaced, "telling him that would give him a heart attack,"

The cats decided to tell their friend after he had moved on from Star's death and head back to the burrow, yet the hairs on their necks stood up. Their murderer was once again aiming to end their lives and could attack at any moment. The only source of comfort they had is that they weren't defenceless.

The next day, Stormfur sprung awake and proclaimed that he needed to return to the tribe. The rest of the clan cats, excluding the exiled tribe cats, accompanied him. The group marched into the Tribe of Rushing Water's cave.

The tribe immediately became hostile, hissing and hurling insults at the clan cats. "Well this was a great idea." David grumbled. Stoneteller clambered up his jutting rock, glaring coldly at the cats. The tribe fell silent.

"Hello again," the scarred tom greeted coldly, "we have already lost two cats since you left and we may lose two more," he spoke. Although he addressed all of them, he seemed to be speaking specifically to Stormfur.

Sunpaw growled as he stepped forward, he opened his mouth to chew the old cat out. He blamed him for Star's death, his refusal to relocate his tribe despite knowing that something dangerous knew exactly where they were at all times was what killed Star. To top it all of, he ran away the second Sharptooth attacked the tribe.

But Brambleclaw spoked before the apprentice could, sensing what he was going to say would make things much worse. "We've come back to help," the ThunderClan warrior explained, "and we have a plan,".

"I told you to-"

"Please, Stoneteller," Brook Where Small Fish Swim begged, "they can help us, and Stormfur's the silver cat," she reminded.

The old cat sighed, "fine, what is your plan?" he inquired.

The Tribe of Rushing Water visibly relaxed. Squirrelpaw explained their scheme to kill the beast that had antagonised them for so long. They would stuff hare full of deathberries to kill it effortlessly. The hard part was luring Sharptooth to the cave and eating it rather than a cat.

"That's a good plan, but you're going need bait," Talon called as he padded towards the group along with Rock and Bird. The tribe became hostile again, screeching and cursing the exiled cats.

"You have a lot of nerve to return after failing," Stoneteller spat, "I should-"

"-Killing us won't kill Sharptooth," Talon stated, "we just want to help," he mewed.

"Fine." The tribe leader growled.

Talon nodded then got Rock to slice open his paw. The three exiled cats then sprinted out the cave, leaving a small amount of blood in their wake. The clan cats and tribe cats immediately when to work.

Coldpaw and Smokepaw were tasked with gutting the hare and filling it with a generous amount of death berries. The RiverClan apprentice wasn't phased by the grim task whereas his friend was disgusted.

"Ugh," Smokepaw shivered in distaste. He carefully picked out the organs, gagging as he did so, "how can you _stand_ this?" he demanded.

"I used to work part time at a fish mongers when I was sixteen, I got used to it," Coldpaw mewed, going about the distasteful chore as if he was simply removing toys from a child's toy box.

The cats then stuffed the empty corpse full of the deadly, bright red berries. Most of the work was left the Russian as his French companion scurried away to empty the contents of his stomach elsewhere.

The exiled tribe cats burst into the cave, "Sharptooth's on his way," Rock wheezed.

"What? There's barely enough time to hide!" Brambleclaw cried.

The cats scrambled to find a safe place to hide, only to have Sharptooth suddenly slink into the cave, scanning for any unhidden cats. It layed eyes on Crowpaw who didn't hide in time, frozen in place as the beast's cold eyes fell on him.

Squirrelpaw gasped, she suddenly bolted out of cover and into full view for Sharptooth. "Look here! I'm talking to you, ya big flea-bitten furball!" she mocked, attempting to gain it's attention.

"Squirrelpaw! what are you- shit!" David, who had been hiding with Squirrelpaw and Sunpaw, hissed barely above a whisper before realising what she was doing. Thankfully - in David's opinion - the mountain lion wasn't interested in the ginger she-cat.

The tribe cats saw an opportunity to escape, they scurried frantically to leave the cave an escape Sharptooth. A torrent of fur heading in one direction, yowling and crying out fpr their lives.

"I'll get that fucker's attention," Sunpaw snarled, running out into the open. The ShadowClan apprentice attempted to hold him back but released him as he felt the stinging heat radiating from him.

The gold tom pushed against the current of tribe cats, "Oi! You big bastard!" he yowled, paw ignited. "This is for Star!" he cried out, rearing onto his back legs - he remembered Smokepaw's smoke bullet and believed he could replicate it- Sunpaw hurled his flaming paw forward. A medium sized orb of fire soared through the air, smacking the beast on the left side of it's face.

Sharptooth roared out in agony as the flesh on it's face began to blister, sizzle, and char in some areas. Luckily for Sunpaw, the chaos surrounding him meant that nobody had noticed what occurred, only hearing the deafening roars of a pained mountain lion.

"Serves you right, prick." Sunpaw spat.

The pained cries of Sharptooth fell on Stormfur's ears. The grey tom spun around, getting a clear view of the hideous burn that now covered Sharptooth's face. "Great StarClan," he winced.

"Stormfur," Feathertail called softly, a distant look in her eyes.

"What? What's wrong?" Stormfur asked.

"I can hear voices," the silver she-cat mewed, "they're saying this for me to do - I'm the silver cat!" she cried. Without another word, Feathertail ran to the other side of the cave. She clambered up rocks, coming onto a ledge that looked over the cave.

Ahead of her were several rocks hanging from the cave roof. She knew what she had to do. The RiverClan warrior took a deep breath, then yowled as she flung herself onto the rocks, shaking them loose and causing them to plummet. Along with herself.

Smokepaw heard the sound of rock, breaking from above. His eyes widened as he looked upwards, sighting stalactites rocketing for the rocky cave floor, Feathertail among them. Time slowed for the tom, everything and everyone began growing distant.

"Feathertail!" Smokepaw cried.


	23. Chapter 23

Smokepaw watched as the she-cat he loved plummet from the cave roof, surrounded by falling rock. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, both the RiverClan warrior and the debris surrounding her falling in slow motion.

The others had heard the WindClan apprentice's cry. They all followed his gaze to see what had caused him such hysteria. David grimaced, shutting his eyes and bracing himself; Sunpaw's jaw dropped, blue eyes wide as he watched; Coldpaw faced away, bracing himself just as the ShadowClan apprentice had done.

Sharptooth, the catalyst which caused such an event to unfold, look upwards to see the teeth-like stones raining down upon it. It's eyes widened in fear. The mountain lion knew that it's time was at hand.

The grey tom, refusing to accept Feathertail's fate, rushed forward. The sound of bones crushing filled his ears, along with the tearing of flesh and roars of pain as the stalactites penetrated Sharptooth's hide.

The silver cat continued to plummet to the rocky cave floor, growing closer with each passing second. Smokepaw picked up the pace, moving faster than he ever had in his entire life before. His speed caused him to trip over his own paws, slamming into the cave floor.

"No!" He cried. The WindClan cat's body became smoke, rushing to underneath where Feathertail would land. Smokepaw materialised on his back, fore legs open to catch the falling she-cat. To him, she appeared as a falling angel - his angel.

The tom braced himself, ready for impact. Soon after, Feathertail slammed into his body with the force of a freight train falling off a cliff. Smokepaw gasped as the air was knocked out of him, feeling his bones crack from the impact as blood flew from his mouth.

"F-Feathertail?" he mewed weakly, his paws wrapped around her protectively.

She didn't answer.

"Please, Feathertail, t-this isn't funny," Smokepaw pleaded, eyes welling with tears. Feathertail didn't reply, only laying limp in his arms. "Feathertail..." he sobbed, "stay with me, please!" he begged.

"Oh, my god." David grimaced, attempting to blink away the tears in his eyes.

"No. . .not her too." Sunpaw sniffled.

"This. . .this shouldn't have happened," Coldpaw sighed, holding back his sorrow.

Stormfur and Crowpaw raced to Smokepaw and Feathertail, tears willing in their eyes. "Nonono..." The RiverClan tom sobbed, "she. . .she can't be dead!" he wailed. The WindClan apprentice said nothing, his expression conveyed his feeling perfectly - overwhelming grief.

"Great StarClan." Brambleclaw grimaced.

Squirrelpaw sat at David's side, burying her face into his pelt. She wanted to hold her tears back, to be as mentally strong as the ShadowClan apprentice was. The ginger she-cat, despite her grief, wouldn't cry. David comforted her, telling her that the she-cat was in a better place now.

Tawnypelt looked down at the corpse, eyes full of sorrow. Before the journey she didn't know Feathertail at all and during their adventure they had become best friends. Now she was in a better place, no matter how much the fact saddened her.

"Please, say something!" Smokepaw begged, sobbing all the while. Feathertail had to be alive! He saved her! She had to be! The tom's denial soon began to crumble away, "Feathertail..." he mewed weakly, hardly above a whisper. Tears began flowing freely as Smokepaw buried his muzzle into her fur.

Suddenly, Feathertail's body began to stir weakly. Smokepaw froze up, watching in desperate hope that she was alive. The she-cat groaned, shifting some more before opening her blue eyes.

A grin of relief spread across Smokepaw's face. The others expressions of sorrow soon shifted to shock then happiness. "Did I. . .did I get Sharptooth?" She inquired, her voice weak and shaking.

"You're alive!" He cried, laughing in relief and happiness.

Crowpaw soon joined him, crying tears of happiness, "don't you _ever_ do that to me again, you hear!" he yowled in between sobs of relief.

The other cats soon let out whoops of relief and happiness. David brought Squirrelpaw in for a crushing bear hug which she happily returned; Sunpaw and Coldpaw let out a whoop of relief and briefly hugged one another; Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt exhaled deeply, neither realising they had been holding their breath.

"Can you walk?" Stormfur inquired shakily, laughing a little. He couldn't believe how lucky Feathertail was.

Smokepaw let go of the silver she-cat. She struggled to her feet and wobbled on the spot, taking one slow step before stumbling. "I think my leg's broken," she mewed weakly, holding her hind leg off the ground.

Stormfur allowed his sister to lean against him for support. While he did, Crowpaw padded up to Smokepaw, who was still laying on the ground. "You feeling okay?" he mewed.

"I think I-" The grey tom gasped as he stood, tumbling to the ground soon after, "I think I have a few cracked ribs," he grimaced, wiping away the small blood trail from his mouth.

"I've got you," the smokey grey tom grunted, allowing the older apprentice to lean against him for support. The two injured cats were taken off to see Stoneteller. They others watched as they went off.

"Hey, Squirrelpaw," David mewed, blushing slightly. Despite the moment of relief and happiness over, the ThunderClan apprentice still clung to him like a kit to their mother.

"Yes?" She responded.

"Can you get off me?" The ShadowClan apprentice inquired, "show's over,"

"S-sorry," Squirrelpaw stammered, letting go. She began to lick her chest fur, which had bristled out of embarrassment, "I have to, uh. . .go hunt! Yeah, uh, see you later!" she called, briskly walking away to let her embarrassment subside. Brambleclaw leered as she left, he growled to himself as he walked away to confront her.

David raised an eyebrow, but never said a thing until they left, "well, that was somethin'," he commented, using his hind leg to scratch behind his ear like a dog.

Sunpaw smiled at his friend's behaviour. He looked towards the lifeless body of Sharptooth, blood running from the wound in it's head. It was a gruesome sight. _Rot in hell,_ he spat in his mind, glaring at the corpse. Star had been avenged.

...

Once Squirrelpaw was far enough away from the Tribe of Rushing Water's cave, she hid behind a rock. The ginger she-cat's face burned with embarrassment. Did she really hold onto him for _that_ long?

Although, that didn't mean she didn't enjoy every second of it. His brown tabby fur felt pretty nice against her, his lean muscles were comforting, his scent was intoxicating. Squirrelpaw sighed in longing. Too bad he was in a different clan.

"Care to explain what that was about?" Brambleclaw demanded.

"What? We were both happy that Feathertail's alive," she growled.

"Oh, I think there's more to it," the brown tabby hissed.

"There's nothing between me and him," Squirrelpaw retorted, "why do you care so much, eh? Jealous?" she sneered.

Brambleclaw rolled his eyes. This kind of arguing is what Squirrelpaw always did; she tries to get you back-pedalling or stammering until you couldn't form a simple sentence. "Stay away from him, capiche?" he snapped, "I have the right mind to tell Firestar that you're getting too close with that foxheart,"

Squirrelpaw felt offended. Not only was she being accused of committing a serious offence against the warrior code, but Brambleclaw didn't even trust her enough to take her word for it.

The ThunderClan apprentice glared, "there is nothing between me and Sparkpaw," she repeated. It felt a little strange to call David by his clan name after calling him by his 'real' name as he called it for as long as she known him.

Squirrelpaw shoved by Brambleclaw, padding back for the cave. She did feel attracted to the ShadowClan tom but she wouldn't act on it. But if she wanted to stay out of trouble, which she did, then she would have to give David the cold shoulder.

...

The Tribe of Rushing Water began celebrating the death of the beast that had plagued them for so long. A caterwaul of victory sounded from each and every cat. Several cats visited Feathertail, thanking her for slaying Sharptooth.

The rest of the clan cats were praised too. David and Crowpaw soaked in the praise, claiming it was all in days work; Stormfur, Tawnypelt, and Coldpaw shrugged it off, knowing they made no contribution to their clanmate's feat. Sunpaw became embarrassed, not knowing how to deal with the situation.

Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw returned to the cave, both glaring at each other. Stoneteller thanked the cats personally. "I think we've spent enough time here, let's get back home," Brambleclaw urged.

Coldpaw and David paled, "uh. . .but what about Feathertail and Smokepaw?" the brown tabby inquired. He was much more concerned about what would happen if his French companion was left alone with the murderer. The silver she-cat would be fine.

Stormfur turned to the Tribe leader, "can I trust that you'll take good care of my sister?" he mewed.

"And Smokepaw too," Crowpaw chimed in. The others looked down at the smokey grey tom like he confessed to something nobody wanted to know, "what? He's my best friend," he defended.

"Ain't that sad," David commented, knowing Smokepaw had been part of WindClan for the same length of time he had. Did Crowpaw really have no friends beforehand? Crowpaw bristled, but didn't reply.

"Of course," Stoneteller replied.

"Well, that's that," Sunpaw mewed. Coldpaw was shocked that the gold tom hadn't even considered what danger Smokepaw was in, until he remembered that Sunpaw wasn't aware that the murderer was here.

The cats decided to visit the two recovering cats before departing. The old, scarred cat lead them to where they were resting. Smokepaw spelt soundly in a moss nest, whereas Feathertail was fully awake. Her leg was wrapped with leaves, cobwebs, and stick to correct the broken bone's placement.

"How are you doing, Feathertail?" Crowpaw inquired.

"I'm fine," the silver she-cat smiled, "but it turns out poppyseeds make Smokepaw tired," she purred, looking over at the sleeping tom.

"We're here to say that we're leaving now," Stormfur stated, "you know what direction the clans are in, so it shouldn't be a problem getting home after your leg heals," he mewed.

Feathertail nodded, "goodbye, stay safe," she mewed, bidding her friends farewell.

Several hours passed before Smokepaw awoke from his slumber, looking around to see that he was still in the Tribe of Rushing Water's cave. He could tell it was night or extremely early morning by the lack of light. He sighed, how long had he been out for?

The grey tom heard Feathertail raise her head from her paws, "finally awake?" she commented.

"How long was I sleeping for?" The WindClan apprentice inquired.

"Most of the day," Feathertail responded, "I didn't get to thank you for saving me, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here," she mewed, her eyes full of a deep gratitude.

Smokepaw realised how close he was to losing Feathertail, how she almost left him behind without him getting to tell her how he felt. He wanted to be by her side forever, to grow old with her, a chance to live happily.

He decided then and there to tell her, "Feathertail..." he mewed, averting her gaze. "There's something I need to say," he stated. The tom's heart was pounding in his chest as his face blushed a deep scarlet.

"Yes?" Feathertail asked.

"I. . .thought I lost you when I caught you," he admitted, "but when you opened your eyes, I realised I had to say this before it's too late," he inhaled deeply, "I love you, Feathertail. And I wanted to ask, will you be my mate?" he smiled hopefully.

The RiverClan she-cat frowned, but kept a sincere look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Smokepaw. But I don't feel the same," she mewed, a gentle tone in her voice.

"O-oh..." Smokepaw grimaced, "I understand,". But in truth, he didn't. The WindClan apprentice thought they were close and that she was interested in him. Did he misinterpret her behaviour? Not that it mattered - she didn't love him back was what mattered.

His heart wrenched and tears welled in his eyes. This was worse than a few cracked ribs, it felt like someone broke every single bone and put all the agony into his heart. Smokepaw couldn't even look at her, both embarrassment and emotional pain refused to allow him to look at her.

Smokepaw just wanted to run off and hide. He didn't want to be in Feathertail's company anymore. He didn't hate her, but he didn't want to be around her because of the heartache.

"But I'm sure there's another she-cat dying to have you as their mate," Feathertail reassured, "you're funny, smart, and your accent is nice to listen to." she complimented.

But Smokepaw didn't respond. He curled up into a ball, refusing to allow Feathertail to see the sorry state he was in. After all the madness he had experienced throughout the past month, couldn't something go his way for once?


	24. Chapter 24

The chosen cats, minus Smokepaw and Feathertail, began their journey back to the clans. They bidded farewell to the Tribe of Rushing Water. Little Dust and Rain bounded over to Sunpaw, nuzzling him saying tearful goodbyes to the cat they thought of as a big brother.

"No! Stay with us forever!" Rain squeaked, nuzzling him harder. She believed if she showed her big brother more affection, then he would stay.

"Aw look, I'll come back to visit, I promise," Sunpaw smiled, embracing the two kits. They nuzzled him as they returned the hug, purring loudly.

"Aww," Squirrelpaw cooed.

"Bugger off." The ThunderClan apprentice grumbled.

The cats set off, trekking through the mountains. None of them could believe what kind of bizzare adventure they had been on, involving badgers, giant cats, and group of cats similar to their own clans.

But David kept looking over his shoulder, watching for the black cat that had murdered them. The ShadowClan apprentice would kill him the next time he saw him. He had been taken away from his family, friends, and home - they had all been.

He grimaced. It wasn't fair. The brown tabby hadn't been the nicest person -or cat- in the world. He had been in fights, most of which he started. He had shoplifted candy when he was twelve because he didn't have the money to pay for it. He's had more detentions than he could count and he had been suspended and skipped school just as many times too. But he didn't deserve this.

David looked over to Coldpaw, watching as he laughed at one of Stormfur's jokes. The towering grey tom probably had a wife that he had been taken from, maybe kids too. But he had moved on, finding a partner through a house cat named Princess. The thought made the American want to criticise his compadre for moving on so fast, but David didn't know the full story.

His eyes shifted to Sunpaw, observing as he talked with Squirrelpaw. The gold tom was pretty cool, a little socially awkward but nothing a good night out couldn't fix. He seemed to be dealing with Star's death much better now, perhaps he felt that she had been avenged after Sharptooth bit the dust.

David's mind drifted towards Smokepaw. Honestly, he felt awful for leaving him behind like that, alone with his murderer and cracked ribs. He wanted to turn back, run back to the Tribe of Rushing Water, and beat the ever-loving crap out the bastard and run for it with the Frenchman in tow. It felt wrong to let himself to be pummelled and not do a thing about it.

"You alright?" Sunpaw inquired, noticing the brown tabby's grim expression.

"Yeah, just thinkin' 'bout Smokey," he replied. Despite them having some disputes, ranging from insulting each other's nationality to their appearance, they were still friends at the end of the day. They all were his friends.

When David had first met Sunpaw, Smokepaw, and Coldpaw he didn't know what to think about them. They seemed like a bunch of losers to him. Sunpaw was awkward, Smokepaw acted like cat; aloof and not wanting anything to do with any of them. Coldpaw just didn't seem to know what was going on and was condescending.

Now he couldn't imagine being here without them. He would have nobody but himself. Before meeting them he thought he was isolated, unable to talk to anyone about what was happening to him. But that changed. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"He'll be fine," The Briton reassured, unaware of the danger worse than Sharptooth that claimed the Tribe as it's own. He kept flicking his left ear as he went back to talking with the ginger she-cat.

David noticed his friend's habit, "what's up with your right ear?" he inquired.

"Hmm?" Sunpaw replied. His blue eyes flicked up towards his right ear briefly, "nothing, why?" he inquired.

"No, your other right," The brown tabby replied.

"That's left, you spoon," The golden tom replied, looking at left his ear. He stopped flicking his ear, unaware he had been doing it in the first place, "never learned right from left?"

"I'm dyslexic, asshole. I don't know shit," David grumbled.

"Look! It's highstones!" Brambleclaw cried.

Every cat looked into the distance, setting eyes upon the landmark. Relief swept through them. Finally, their journey was over. But Sunpaw felt anxiety prick at his stomach, he told himself that he was going to ask Leafpaw out when he returned yet doubt plagued his thoughts. What if she didn't like him? What if he misread her?

The ThunderClan apprentice despised feeling like this. He breathed in deeply, feeling his concern lessen. He would ask her out. It would be a shame if she didn't like him back, but she had made advances on him. The cute, brown tabby she-cat liked him and he liked her. Nothing to be afraid of.

But Cinderpelt was something to be afraid of. Sometimes, Sunpaw would catch the medicine cat glaring at him whenever he talked with Leafpaw. She had cut their conversations short before, claiming Leafpaw was too busy for chit-chat.

The tom began to unconsciously flick his left ear. Cinderpelt would have his head if she found out, Firestar too. He began to breathe in deeply again, calming himself. _Just do it_ , he thought to himself, _worst thing that'll happen is that I get rejected_.

The cats continued onwards, padding past highstones and towards their territories. Each of them was going to have to explain to their clans why they left, unless they had told someone else previously - just as Smokepaw had informed Tallstar.

The first stop was WindClan for Crowpaw. He bidded farewell to his acquaintances but stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, "uh. . .Sparkpaw," he mewed.

"Wassit?" David responded. He didn't bother to correct the smokey grey tom; he was starting warm up to his clan name. He was also wondering if he would be made a warrior for this journey. If he was then his name better be cool.

"Just wanted to say that I guess I was kinda wrong about you," he admitted, "I thought you were a piece of foxdung at first, but after all that we've went though, I guess you're kinda okay," Crowpaw mewed.

"What about me?" Squirrelpaw inquired.

"Go walk off a cliff." Crowpaw deadpanned. He turned around, heading for WindClan territory.

"Foxheart." The ginger she-cat snorted.

After that the cats separated, heading for ShadowClan, ThunderClan, and RiverClan territory respectively. David and Tawnypelt followed Brambleclaw, Stormfur, Squirrelpaw, and Sunpaw back to ThunderClan territory before soon spli and heading for the thunderpath.

"See you guys later," David called, following Tawnypelt through a bush.

The three ThunderClan cats and one RiverClan cat headed towards the heart of their territory. But they noticed something as they walked. The forest was deathly silent, like everything living on ThunderClan territory just got up and left. There was no chirping of birds, no rustles of prey in the bushes.

It put all four of them on edge. Soon, Brambleclaw began walking with his claws unsheathed. The quiet was unnatural gave the forest an oppressive atmosphere, like it wasn't their forest anymore.

Sunpaw began to worry. Ravenpaw had come to ThunderClan to warn them of twolegs getting closer and closer to the clans. What if they had descended upon them as they were gone?

He began immediately worrying for Leafpaw. If she had been caught by the twolegs that meant either she had been taken away could be in an animal shelter anywhere in the country or something _much_ worse...

The ThunderClan apprentice immediately shoved anymore thoughts out of his head. Leafpaw was fine. ThunderClan was fine. They soon approached ThunderClan camp, they shared one last glance with one another.

"It's pretty quiet," Squirrelpaw suddenly said, a tone of concern in her voice.

"I don't like this." Brambleclaw muttered, crawling underneath the thorn barrier.

The four cats saw that ThunderClan camp was barren without a sight of life. The fresh-kill pile was still present, remaining untouched. Everyone just got up and left. It reminded Sunpaw of pictures of Chernobyl he had seen before. Where toys had been left behind in swing parks, TVs remaining on despite nobody ever looking at them again, and houses with valuables left behind as everyone left to flea from the deadly radiation.

"Looks like everyone just left," The ginger she-cat commented.

"I can see that, Squirrelpaw," The brown tabby deadpanned.

"You could try being a bit nicer, Brambleclaw," Stormfur scolded.

Sunpaw immediately began to panic. Where was Leafpaw? Where was his Leafpaw?! Without a word, he sprinted into the medicine cat den. "Leafpaw! Leafpaw! Where the hell are you?" he cried.

The gold tom was suddenly knocked to the ground. He grunted as he kicked his assailant off. He swiftly got to his paws, claws unsheathed. "Just who the bloody hell do you think you are?" he snarled.

"Sunpaw?" A familiar feminine voice rang. The gold tom got a good look of his assailant. She had blue eyes, grey fur, and scars on one of her hind legs. It was Cinderpelt.

Sunpaw immediately became docile again, his claws sliding back into his paws, "Cinderpelt?" he mewed, surprise in his voice. He thought everyone had left.

"What's going on?" Brambleclaw demanded.

"I thought he was a rouge trying to steal my herbs," Cinderpelt explained, "sorry, Sunpaw,"

"Where's Leafpaw?" The gold tom inquired.

"She's been taken," The medicine cat stated, her tone was grim. Without waiting for Sunpaw to respond, the grey she-cat hobbled out of the den while signalling the four cats to follow her.

Cinderpelt took them to Sunningrocks, revealing ThunderClan had temporarily repositioned themselves there and that the she-cat had returned to collect the herbs she left. Stormfur said goodbye to the others before heading to RiverClan.

Firestar, Greystripe, and Sandstorm padded up to the three cats. Their faces were contorted in expressions of relief. "Glad to see you three are safe" Firestar mewed.

"See you, don't run off like that! You had me worried sick!" Greystripe scolded Sunpaw. He soon rested his head on his apprentice's shoulder and began rock side to side slowly - the equivalent to a hug Sunpaw had found. "Thank StarClan you're safe," he mumbled.

"You're all so thin!" Squirrelpaw gasped. Sunpaw and Brambleclaw studied the three older cats and the rest of the clan, seeing that every cat present was indeed much thinner than before they had left. Their ribs were visible on some of the cats.

The clan began accusing the three cats of deserting the clan as it was beginning to starve. Each cat looked betrayed and outraged. They knew the clan's suffering would worsen and rather than alert them they ran away to save their own skins.

Brambleclaw narrowed his amber eyes, this wasn't the first time the clan thought ill of him. It didn't bother him any more.

Sunpaw just rolled his eyes, he didn't care about what they thought. His mind was on Leafpaw, attempting to recall where the closest animal shelter was. But she could be somewhere else if she had been taken recently.

Squirrelpaw felt hurt. She was Firestar's daughter, she was loyal to the bone! She left for their benefit, not hers. Why couldn't they consider that?

"Silence!" Firestar yowled, causing the clan's accusations to fall silent. The ginger tom turned the three cats, "care to explain why you left?" he inquired. He already knew why they left due to Cinderpelt talking with him, his mate, and his deputy. But the rest of the clan was ignorant to such information.

The three cats explained everything. From receiving the dream to the Tribe of Rushing Water and Sharptooth. The clan sat in awe, listening to their tale.

"Think you should talk with the other leaders?" Sandstorm suggested.

The ThunderClan leader nodded his head, "I'll talk with them at fourtrees tonight," he mewed. Firestar then turned to Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw, "you two go to each clan and inform their leaders," he ordered.

"What about me?" Sunpaw inquired.

The ginger tom turned to the apprentice, "you can go rest for now, you look tired," he mewed.

"But what about Leafpaw?" The apprentice reminded, "we need to find her," he urged. His heart began pounding at the thought of her, but it wasn't beating rapidly out of love - it was fear for her wellbeing.

"But we need to look for Leafpaw and whoever else is missing!" Sunpaw protested. He was growing frustrated with Firestar and the fact he didn't seem to be doing anything to find his own daughter. It reminded him of Stoneteller, a cat he deemed unfit to lead.

"Your heart is in the right place," Firestar mewed, putting his tail tip on the apprentice's shoulder, "but we don't know where she is, we just have to wait until StarClan-"

"Shut up about StarClan, for Christ sake!" The gold tom snapped, "do something other than sit around with your thumb up your arse!" he spat. Without another word, he stormed off. He didn't want to be around Firestar for much longer.

Greystripe gasped, "I'm sorry for that, Firestar. I'll make sure talk to him about his actions later," he stated. He felt both shock and disappointment for his apprentice, it wasn't like Sunpaw to lash out.

"It's fine, Greystripe," Firestar shrugged the apprentice's outburst off, "Sunpaw and Leafpaw are good friends, it's understandable," he explained. It showed that Sunpaw cared for his clan. That's was all Firestar asked from any clan of ThunderClan, but some respect would be nice too.

The deputy shook his head, "no. He needs to apologise after he's calmed down," the tom mewed.

That night, Sunpaw sat curled up in his nest. He kept trying to think were abouts Leafpaw could be. He tried to think of locations nearby that she would be held in temporarily before being moved to a rescue shelter.

Then it hit him, Ravenpaw's barn. The farmer could have rented the place out to the government in the situation they found some animals, such as foxes or feral cats. The gold tom decided the first thing he would do in the morning is go look for Leafpaw.

The she-cat's soft fur flashed through his mind, as did her gorgeous amber eyes, and sweet voice. He sighed in longing. Sunpaw was determined to bring her back. The tom soon drifted into sleep, thoughts of the tabby she-cat still lingering in his mind.


	25. Chapter 25

Sunpaw's eyes fluttered open. Greeting him was the early morning sun rising, casting an orange glow across the sky. He groaned, why did he have to wake up so early? The tom turned away from the sun, grumbling to himself. He closed his eyes, ready to return to sleep.

The Briton immediately remembered the barn and how it was the most likely place Leafpaw was. Sunpaw's blue eyes instantly opened and sprang to his paws. It didn't matter how tired he was, he had to get her back!

The gold cat padded out of the temporary apprentice den, an air of urgency surrounding him. He saw Greystripe, Firestar, and other warriors talking. _Must be a patrol,_ he concluded. Sunpaw then remembered he needed permission to leave himself. Groaning, he approached his mentor.

"Greystripe, can I go out hunting myself?" He asked.

Greystripe turned to him, "you can - after you apologise to Firestar for your outburst yesterday," he mewed. The expression on his face told Sunpaw that he wasn't even allowed to move until he said sorry.

"Yeah, sorry," Sunpaw mewed to Firestar. He turned away to head out of their temporary camp. He couldn't have any delays. Every second that wasn't spent finding the medicine cat apprentice was wasted time.

"Mean it!" His mentor hissed.

He froze, _I don't have the bloody time for this!,_ he protested in his mind. The apprentice sighed, "Firestar, I apologise for shouting at you yesterday. I was just stressed out and concerned about Leafpaw," he said, a sincere tone in his voice.

Firestar smiled, "apology accepted," he mewed, "I know you care deeply for the cats in this clan, but try not to let your emotions get the best of you, okay?" the ginger tom lectured.

Sunpaw nodded, "yes, sir," he mewed. The apprentice turned to Greystripe, "can I leave now?" he urged. Time was ticking. The longer he waited the more chance there was of Leafpaw finding herself further and further away from home. From him.

"Off you go," Greystripe smiled.

"Thanks, dad!" Sunpaw called, bounding off. His face turned a deep scarlet when he realised he had called his mentor his father. He muttered curses to himself as he exited the camp.

Greystripe stood breathless, "he sees me as a father," he purred.

"Or you just act like his father," Sandstorm chimed in.

"Do you have to be so blunt?" The deputy grumbled.

Sunpaw raced through the territory, running towards ShadowClan. He skidded to a halt as he approached the thunderpath. Now which way was the farm again? The gold tom began to panic - he had forgotten.

The ThunderClan apprentice took a wild guess, heading west along the road. His lungs were beginning to burn, his breathing quickened and he felt his limbs beginning to ache. Soon, he passed a car, then another and another.

Sunpaw stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes laid on a line of cars, not a single one of them moving. The line extended over a stone bridge and onto the other side of the road. His heart sank into his stomach. A traffic jam?

His paws began smouldering, "are you having a laugh?!" he cried through gritted teeth. This was bad. Very _very_ bad! This meant he was going to have to backtrack through ThunderClan territory and cut through WindClan territory. Hopefully he wouldn't run into any twolegs or patrols.

Sunpaw ran back the way he came, stopping in ThunderClan's deserted camp. The fresk-kill pile was beginning to decompose, giving off an awful stench. He didn't stay for long, bursting through the camp barrier and whipping past oak and birch trees.

His muscles ached, begging him to rest, it was beginning to hurt to breathe, he felt like his throat was full nails. He snorted as some mucous ran from his nose and tears formed in his eyes from the cold wind. But he refused to falter. The only way he would fail was for him to pass out.

Which he felt he was going to, but he remembered that talking or singing while running would help you. So he began to mutter the lyrics to 'Highway Star' by Deep Purple. After a while, his throat felt less pained along with his lungs.

Soon, he came across the stream that separated the territories of WindClan and ThunderClan. It was too wide for him to jump. There was rocks protruding out of the water. He could use them to get across faster than trekking through the water.

"Alright-" Sunpaw muttered, leaping onto the closest stone.

"-Hold tight-" he grunted as he jumped onto another rock.

"-I'm a-"

another rock.

"-Highway-"

another rock.

"-Star!" he grunted as he jumped onto WindClan territory. He faltered, stumbling and almost tumbling to the ground. He paused momentarily, regaining his breath, then running twice as fast as he had been previously.

Sunpaw's muscles were in agony, each one was screaming and begging him to rest, his lungs felt numb, and the feeling of nails in his throat had been replaced with the feeling of saw blades.

His pace slowed and his breathing became ragged. He needed to rest or he would pass out. But the ThunderClan apprentice wouldn't fail Leafpaw the way he failed Star. The thought of her gave him the strength to power on.

The forms of several cats came into view. Sunpaw groaned, "are you fucking serious?" he growled. He prepared himself for the inevitable chase that would ensure. The gold tom sprinted past them, hearing their yowls of surprise.

"Stop!" One of the patrol members yowled.

Sunpaw ignored them, focused on getting as far as he could as fast as he could. He knew WindClan cats were speedy little buggers, remembering how Crowpaw managed to outpace every single cat on the journey with the exception of Smokepaw.

The sound of several cats chasing him fell on his ears. "I don't need this!" he growled, attempting to gain distance between him and the cats. Soon, one of the WindClan cats was running beside him.

It was Crowpaw, "Sunpaw? What are you on our territory for?" he demanded.

"No time to explain!" Sunpaw responded.

"Yeah? Well, don't take this personally," The smokey grey tom growled, getting ready to barge the ThunderClan apprentice.

The Briton knew that if he slowed down he would be caught by the other cats. But if he sped up Crowpaw would slam into his back legs and send him crashing. Even if the tom missed he would find it easy to keep the same pace as him.

The one advantage the gold tom had was that Crowpaw was lighter than him. He would have to beat him to the punch if he was going to get to Leafpaw in time.

Sunpaw, without a warning, slammed into Crowpaw. The WindClan apprentice gasped, crashing into the dirt and tumbling over his head before tumbling back down into the ground face first.

"Sorry!" The ThunderClan apprentice called over his shoulder.

The other members of the patrol continued their pursuit, relentlessly chasing after Sunpaw. He couldn't do this for much longer. Black swallowed the corners of his vision, threatening to leave him blind. He began feeling lightheaded and his body felt numb.

Soon, the WindClan cats gave up. They watched as the stumbling cat ran off their territory. Crowpaw caught up with the rest of the patrol, spitting dirt out of his mouth. "Why aren't we chasing him?" he inquired.

"Because he's running off our territory," Webfoot pointed out.

Sunpaw ran through trees that separated WindClan from the barn. Coming out on the other side he was greeted with the barn, standing tall. He flopped onto the ground, laughing to himself. He had made it.

The ThunderClan apprentice shakily got to his paws, stumbling over to the barn. The feeling in his body returned, leaving him aching. But it was worth it. He was going to return Leafpaw back safe and sound.

He entered the barn, seeing rows upon rows of cat cages. This could take a while, but it told him that Leafpaw was still here. Sunpaw immediately began searching, looking through the most lower cages.

He eventually found one with a brown tabby cat inside, curled up and facing away from him. The tom's heart began to beat at incredible speeds. Was that her? Only one way to find out.

"Leafpaw?" Sunpaw called softly.

The quiet became deafening and tie seemed to stand still or slow to a crawl. Doubt crept into his mind. What if that cat wasn't Leafpaw? What if she was already gone? The apprentice held his breath.

The cat's ears pricked, then they turned around. Wide amber eyes stared at him, full of disbelief and happiness. He was right. Sunpaw was over the moon. He got to her just in time.

"Sunpaw?" Leafpaw responded. Quickly, she brought herself closer to the steel grid that separated them, "you came!" she cried.

"Of course I did," he smiled, "let's get you out," he muttered. Sunpaw began to fiddle with the lock but was unable to free her. The tom grimaced, he would have to melt the damn thing.

He placed his over the cage latch, transferring all the heat he could. The latch began to glow a dull red, before becoming orange then breaking before it could become any hotter. The lock fell to the ground, sounding with a loud metallic clank.

The brown tabby she-cat embraced him, purring softly. "I thought nobody was coming to save me," she admitted.

"Mate, you hear that?"

"Yeah, think one of the cages are open,"

"Shit," Sunpaw growled. He turned to Leafpaw, "we need to leg it," he mewed.

"But what about the others?" Leafpaw reminded, "we can't leave them here!" she protested.

"We'll come back for them, I promise," The ThunderClan apprentice sounded, "but we need to get out of here!" he urged. The two cats sprinted out of the barn and through the woods onto WindClan territory. They heard as the twolegs cursed in surprise and anger.

Sunpaw and Leafpaw ran through the territory, eventually skidding to a halt as they saw a WindClan patrol. "What do we do?" The medicine cat apprentice inquired, a nervous tone in her voice.

"I don't think that's WindClan," Sunpaw pointed out, seeing the forms of Squirrelpaw, Sorreltail, Greystripe, Brambleclaw, Thornclaw, and Rainwhisker. The ThunderClan cats noticed them too, then sprinted forward.

"Sunpaw! What in StarClan's name were you thinking!" Greystripe barked, "you could've been captured yourself!" he scolded.

Sunpaw opened his mouth to defend himself, but was shushed by his mentor. Squirrelpaw embraced her sister, "thank StarClan you're safe!" she cried.

"I missed you too," Leafpaw purred.

Sorreltail noticed that there were no other cats, despite there being several cats missing from ThunderClan, "where are the others?" she inquired.

The gold tom frowned, "couldn't get them in time or I would've been in a cage with them," he grimaced.

"That means we still have time," Greystripe stated, "follow me," he ordered the patrol. He turned to Sunpaw, "get Leafpaw back to Sunningrocks, and when I get back I'm making you check the elders for ticks for running off on your own. Again." he hissed.

Sunpaw nodded, signalling Leafpaw to follow him. The medicine cat didn't think it was fair, the gold tom had save her - he shouldn't be punished for it. But she knew better than to speak out against a warrior, let alone the deputy.

Leafpaw looked over to Sunpaw, expecting to see his face contorted in an expression of outrage. But he didn't even care. Her heart started pounding and she started blushing, he was so brave. And handsome too. But the fact they could never be together devastated her.

The two apprentices strolled through WindClan territory without encountering any problems. They soon found themselves padding through ThunderClan's forest, still as silent as it had been the day before.

Sunpaw knew this was his chance. He had to tell her. "Leafpaw," he mewed, "can I say something?" he inquired. His heart was beating rapidly, thoughts of rejections plaguing his consciousness. But he ignored them - he had to say what he was going to say.

"Um, s-sure," Leafpaw stuttered. Her heart skipped a beat. The tabby she-cat began to fantasise about what he was going to say. Each thought made her purr softly.

"I. . .um, I wanted to say. . ." Sunpaw stammered awkwardly, "that I really like you," he admitted. His face blushed a deep scarlet.

Leafpaw's breath hitched. He said it. He really said it. Her lips tugged into a small, sincere smile, "I really like you too," she admitted shyly. Words couldn't describe the happiness she felt. But a part of her nagged at her that this was wrong, that she shouldn't have a mate.

The two cats began to lean closer into each other. Suddenly, the she-cat pulled away and averted Sunpaw's gaze, "we can't," she stated, "t-the code says medicine cats shouldn't have-"

Leafpaw's words fell short as she felt Sunpaw's tail underneath her chin, guiding her back to face him. The brown tabby she-cat felt as her face began to heat up, a soft blush covering her face.

The two cats leaned in slowly, small smiles on their faces. Their muzzles press together as they both purred softly. They pulled back then went in again, this time Leafpaw entwined her tail with Sunpaw's.

They sat purring, loving smiles on both their faces. "I love you," Leafpaw spoke, nuzzling underneath her mate's chin.

"I love you too," Sunpaw purred, giving the brown tabby she-cat a lick on the head. They stayed in their embrace, rocking back and forth slowly.

After a brief silence, the medicine cat apprentice pulled away. "We need to get back to camp," she reminded.

"So we do," The gold tom mumbled, disappointed that their embrace was short lived, "we need to keep this secret, don't we?" he mewed.

Leafpaw nodded solemnly, "we just need to be careful," she sighed, leaning against her mate, "I hate keeping secrets," she grumbled. Sunpaw gave her a reassuring nuzzle, telling her that everything would be fine.

The two cats returned to Sunningrocks. Every cat's jaw dropped upon seeing Leafpaw again, soon they began rejoicing and praising Sunpaw for returning her home safely. Sandstorm, Cinderpelt, and Firestar bounded over and embraced her.

"I thought you were gone!"

"Thank StarClan you're safe!"

"I won't ever let that happen to you again!"

Sunpaw watched the reunion with a smile on his face. Today had been great; he had a mate now, he returned Leafpaw home safely, and now he had undoubtedly earned the respect of ThunderClan. The only thing to make this better was if he became a warrior.

Firestar pulled away from the embrace, padding up to the apprentice, "Sunpaw, I cannot thank you enough for returning Leafpaw home safe and sound," he purred. Pride was evident in his voice and eyes.

"Och, it was nothing," Sunpaw dismissed. He felt flattered, avoiding the leader's eyes with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Come," the ginger tom beckoned, "now is the time you become a warrior," he stated, padding away and up the Sunningrocks. The called the clan over and they gathered, forming a crowd around the stones.

"I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." The ginger tom recited.

The apprentice watched in awe, he was becoming a warrior. He wondered what his name would be. He didn't care as long as it wasn't something stupid like Sunface or Sunmoon. It all seemed surreal to him, like it was dream he would wake up from just before his warrior name was revealed.

The ThunderClan leader looked down at Sunpaw, "Sunpaw," he bellowed, "do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" he inquired.

The gold tom sat in shock for a brief second, "I do." he replied confidently.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sunpaw, from this moment you will be known as Sunblaze. StarClan honors your courage and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Firestar stated, concluding the ceremony.

The whole of ThunderClan began chanting his name, "Sunblaze! Sunblaze! Sunblaze!" they cheered. The newly made warrior stood, grinning like a complete idiot. He felt like he was on top of the world. This was the best day of his life!

Suddenly, the ThunderClan patrol burst into camp, panting as if they had sprinted back without stopping once. The clan looked over confused, then started chatting amongst themselves about whay the patrol had returned and why they were in such a state.

Sunblaze noticed something, all the cats on the patrol were present along with Brightheart and Cloudtail. Sunpaw concluded that they must have been taken along with Leafpaw. Except for one. Greystripe. Where was he?

The ThunderClan leaned pounced down from the Sunningrocks, "Brambleclaw, what's the problem?" he inquired.

Brambleclaw attempted to regain his breath, "Gr. . .Greystripe has been captured by twolegs!" he yowled.


	26. Chapter 26

Sunblaze sat outside the temporary warriors den. He had been sleeping in there for the past few nights but the tom had been forced to take up residence in one of the most outer nests where the cold held a strong presence.

When he first was told to go up to the back of the den, he thought that it was because the warriors still viewed him as an apprentice or held a grudge because he didn't have clan blood flowing through his veins. But Cloudtail, a senior warrior, Firestar's nephew, and -to some extent- Coldpaw's stepson, reassured him that it wasn't the case.

"All new warriors get shoved to the back," Cloudtail had explained, "happened with all of us." he mewed.

The reassurance calmed him. It kind of reminded the gold tom of his school bus back in London, where the oldest students sat at the back and you gradually worked your way to the back of the bus. He recalled how him and Kelly in the third row of the back.

Of course, he could have taken Greystripe's nest. But the senior warriors would have killed him for that. He missed his mentor. He was hesitant to admit it but Greystripe was almost like his own father, John Brown.

They both had that goofy side to them, along with them both deeply caring for him. They both had an air of confidence about them too. Although, he supposed the similarities ended there. For one, Greystripe wasn't a self-employed joiner and he sure as hell wasn't a metahuman.

While Sunblaze had no proof that his father was in the same boat as him it was very likely seeing as he could recall John telling him that his late teens and early adult years were some of the craziest times of his life. But he would never know.

The warrior sighed, he missed home. He missed his parents. His family. His friends. A wrenching nostalgia and longing for home filled his heart. He cleared his mind. This was home now. ThunderClan was home.

To take his mind off the topic, he began thinking about the others and how they were doing. Sparkpaw probably had his punishment for sneaking out of camp nearly a month ago now double. He purred in amusement at thought of the brown tabby grumbling to himself as he checked elders for ticks.

Stormfur and Coldpaw would without a doubt had to explain why Feathertail was absent. Same went for Crowpaw for Smokepaw. The warrior remembered the advice he gave to his French companion, and wondered if he had told the pretty silver she-cat how he felt. He had a feeling that the RiverClan she-cat felt the same way. Smokepaw was must be the happiest cat in existence right now.

Sunblaze was brought back to reality as he heard someone say something to him, he turned to face them and found Leafpaw, her ambers orbs full of an underlying warmth just for him.

"Sorry, you mind repeateding that?" He mewed.

"Do you want to collect herbs with me?" The medicine cat apprentice recited. She had a shy smile on her face.

Sunblaze smiled. Leafpaw was as adorable as ever. "Of course," he replied, getting to his paws. The two cats padded out of camp, entwining their tails when they were sure nobody was watching.

The brown tabby she-cat rested her head on her mate's shoulder, sighing wistfully and purring softly. It didn't feel like she was collecting herbs but rather she was on a romantic walk.

The gold tom smiled, "was collecting herbs an excuse to spend time with me?" he teased. He didn't mind either way. He couldn't show the she-cat affection in camp unless he was looking to get into trouble.

"No. We're actually running low on herbs," Leafpaw replied, "but it was a nice way to get us out of camp," she admitted, nuzzling the underside of Sunblaze's chin.

"Aww," He cooed, planting a kiss on his mate's forehead. Nuzzling was strange to the warrior, all it was to him was rubbing his nose and mouth on her. So he preferred kissing as it felt more sentimental to him. Although, he might be doing it wrong. Whenever Leafpaw was nuzzling him he felt as if he was going to melt.

The medicine cat apprentice smiled at the gesture, "c'mon, we need to get herbs you big sap," she urged, a playful tone in her sweet voice.

"We can get them later," Sunblaze responded, giving Leafpaw a friendly nudge.

"But we need-" The she-cat was cut off as her mate pressed his muzzle into her's then pulled away, a cheeky smile on his face. "Well, maybe we could get them later," she purred.

The couple padded throughout the territory, their tails entwined and their pelts brushing against one another. They talked about whatever came to their minds, anything from favourite seasons to clan gossip.

"So, what happened on your journey?" Leafpaw inquired, looking at her mate with amber eyes full of curiosity.

Sunblaze recited his tale, only leaving out the bits about his powers and when him and the others used them. The brown tabby she-cat sat in awe, listening intently. After hearing about his adventure she pressed against him, entwining their tails.

"You're so brave," Leafpaw purred nuzzling underneath Sunblaze's chin. "So, are you friends with those three apprentices now?" she inquired.

"Yeah," the warrior smiled, "I'd say we're pretty close after all that rubbish," he stated.

The medicine cat apprentice smiled, then frowned. She realised they had been out for quite some time without even attempting to gather herbs, "we should really get some herbs, we've been dilly dallying for too long," she urged.

"Fine." Sunblaze huffed.

The pair spent the next few hours collecting herbs. The medicine cat apprentice informed the warrior of the herbs they needed: marigold, poppyseeds, burdock root, chervil, and some cobwebs too if they could find them.

They only found a pitiful amount of herbs. Not nearly enough to justify their time away from camp. Leafpaw felt anxiety build in her stomach, tying it in knots. Cinderpelt would surely be suspicious of them now.

She decided to talk with Sunblaze, choosing to deal with her mentor when the time came along. "Are you worried for Greystripe?" The tabby inquired. She definitely was. The deputy had befallen the fate Leafpaw almost had before her mate came to her rescue.

The warrior, after his vergil, had went back to Barley's barn despite his exhaustion. Only to find that all the cages, and any cat whom had been captured, were gone. Despite that Firestar refused to believe that his best friend was gone and refused to appoint a new deputy.

"Of course I'm worried," the gold tom replied, "he's been like my dad since I got here, then he gets taken away," he sighed, "but I'm not as worried as I was with you," Sunblaze admitted, "he's pretty bloody tough," he reasoned, "he'll make his way back,".

The warrior continued, "I mean, he's going to be stuck in a rescue shelter until a twoleg picks him up," he explained, "I came to get because, well, I love you and I'd blame myself if you disappeared," he admitted.

Leafpaw pressed against him, "That's sweet," she purred. "But that's if we don't have to move," she said solemnly, referring to the prospect of Greystripe returning to ThunderClan, "the clans have fallen on hard times," she mumbled.

"We'll pull through," Sunblaze reassured. He pulled away from Leafpaw as they approached ThunderClan's temporary camp. The tabby she-cat felt disappointment run through her, but she knew it was for good reason.

Sunblaze realised something was unnatural about the camp. Since was there so many cats? And who was the old black and white cat talking to Firestar? "The hell's going on?" The warrior asked himself.

"Is that Tallstar?" Leafpaw mewed.

The warrior padded towards Mousefur, "oi, Mousefur, what's going on?" he asked.

The brown she-cat turned to him, "WindClan's asking us to go find a new home with them," she replied.

Sunblaze flicked his ear in acknowledgment them began shifting through the crowd to listen in on the two leaders' conversation.

"Our prey is poisoned, there's twolegs all over the territory. Please, Firestar we _need_ to find new territory!" Tallstar begged. The gold tom noticed that the old cat and all of WindClan were as thin as ThunderClan.

Suddenly, two other cats began shifting through the crowd. They appeared by Sunblaze's side. The two cats were familiar to him, a tawny furred she-cat and a brown tabby with a white underbelly. Tawnypelt and Sparkpaw.

"Firestar!" Tawnypelt called, "ShadowClan's in desperate need for your help! Our camp's being destroyed!" she yowled.

"You alright?" Sunblaze asked Sparkpaw. He didn't seem to be hurt, but knowing the American he could have a massive gash along his side and he would pretend he couldn't feel it.

"I'm good," The ShadowClan apprentice replied, "ShadowClan's fucked though," he grumbled.

"Couldn't you have used your lightning or whatever?" The warrior inquired, only loud enough for his friend to hear.

"Dude, it ain't as easy as it looks," Sparkpaw hissed in return, "you try standing on both legs as a cat," he challenged, "and how am I supposed to explain I can shoot electricity out my paws? Huh? They'd burn me at the stake!" he snapped in a hushed tone.

"Have you ever tried not being a dick?"

"Have you ever tried not being so fuckin' stupid?"

"Knock it off, Sparkpaw!" The ShadowClan warrior hissed, "we're here to ask for help, not start fights!"

The apprentice rolled his eyes, "yeah, whatever Tawn," he grumbled.

Sunblaze raised an eyebrow, Sparkpaw didn't even correct her. During the journey anytime Tawnypelt opened her mouth to call him by his clan name he would cut her off using his birth name. "You're not correcting her for calling you Sparkpaw?"

"I warmed up to it, okay?" Sparkpaw admitted.

"What's up?" A new cat greeted, both cats turned to the voice, finding Crowpaw.

"Hey, Crowpaw," Sunblaze mewed, "are you okay after your tumble?" he teased.

"That hurt you piece of crowfood," The smokey grey tom grumbled, "where were you even going?" he inquired.

"I worked out that they were keeping the cats who went missing in Barely's farm and I had to cut through WindClan to get there," the gold tom explained.

"Did you get them?" Crowpaw persisted.

"I got one and I told a patrol on the way back where they were and they got the rest of them," Sunblaze replied, "they made me a warrior for it," he stated, holding his head high in pride.

"Cool," Sparkpaw mewed, disinterested.

"What'd they name you?" The WindClan apprentice inquired.

"Sunblaze," The ThunderClan warrior replied, smiling.

"Good name." Crowpaw commented.

The three cats turned their attention back Firestar as he looked out onto both clans, wincing that their malnourished bodies. He nodded in agreement, "very well, Tallstar. I think it would be for the best, and ThunderClan will help ShadowClan in anyway we can, Tawnypelt" he mewed.

"Oh, thank you Firestar," Tawnypelt replied, a tone of relief in her voice.

Tallstar dipped his head gratefully, "thank you, Firestar," he purred.

The ThunderClan leader jumped down from his position on Sunningrocks as WindClan began to leave, "Brambleclaw, go to RiverClan and ask Leopardstar to assist us," he ordered. Brambleclaw nodded then sprinted out of camp.

The ginger tom then set up a rather large patrol, consisting of most of his senior warriors, a few junior warriors, and several apprentices along with the two ShadowClan cats. Sunblaze had been picked. Firestar had made a good decision without even knowing it.

As the ThunderClan warriors got ready to assist ShadowClan, Leafpaw padded up to them. "Something wrong, Leafpaw?" Cloudtail inquired.

The medicine cat apprentice shook her head, "not at all, Cloudtail. I just wanted to talk with Sunblaze," she replied.

The senior warrior nodded, "okay, but make it brief," he mewed before leaving to discuss a plan with the others.

Leafpaw turned to her mate, "please be careful, handsome," she spoke with a sincere smile, only loud enough for Sunblaze to hear.

"Of course I will, love," The young warrior purred, briefly resting his head on the tabby's shoulder. As he left he caught eyes with Cinderpelt, who was glaring at him with suspicion in her blue eyes.

What was that all about?


	27. Chapter 27

It had been possibly one of the worst weeks of Smokepaw's life.

First, he had been caught up in some misunderstanding involving two equally ignorant groups. Second, he had to play along with everyone deciding it was pretty good idea to go kill a mountain lion. Third, his crush almost died and broke her leg while he got a few cracked ribs saving her. Finally, he gets rejected by said crush for his hopelessly socially awkward and angsty best friend as he soon found out.

And that was excluding that he was stuck with the Tribe of Rushing Water where his murderer had decided to take up residence. It was safe to say that the last week had left him bitter and snappy.

Smokepaw sighed to himself, picking the smallest piece of prey from the fresh-kill pile and sitting close by the cave-guard's den. He silently nibbled at the eagle, plucking the feathers out before eating.

The grey tom could see Feathertail talking with Stoneteller across the cave, helping her as she struggled to walk. He soon looked away from the sight. It was good to see that the pretty she-cat was recovering, but he couldn't look at her.

The Frenchman knew it wasn't her fault that she didn't return his feelings but it didn't stop him from getting upset at the thought of her. It made him feel unattractive and at some points down right isolated. He wanted to just hide away.

Smokepaw felt outraged sometimes, feeling that it would be a good idea to demand what Crowpaw had that he didn't. His friend had the social skills of a stale baguette, sounded like he had been kicked in the groin with the force of a nuclear bomb, and looked more like a rodent than a cat.

The smokey grey tom's personality didn't make up for it either. The only cat he didn't snap at was himself, he couldn't take responsibility for his mistakes- it was always someone else's fault.

The WindClan apprentice growled in jealousy. After everything he did for her he at least deserved a pat on the back from Feathertail. He exhaled through his nose, returning to his prey. Her loss.

The Frenchman spotted a black cat taking an eagle from the fresh-kill pile, his battle hardened green eyes lost in thought. Smokepaw had seen him around, he was a prey hunter called Shade Underneath The Tree.

Despite being a gatherer for the tribe, he looked more like a fighter. He was tall, with a muscular build with small, little scars decorating his skin. The WindClan apprentice had no idea how he got them though. The tom didn't talk much. In fact, Smokepaw had never heard Shade's voice before. The only reason he knew his name was thanks to Mist Where Sunlight Shimmers.

The tom had a feeling that the cat who Sparkpaw had warned him about was Shade.

But he had to be careful. Smokepaw was still recovering from his cracked ribs. Combine that with being in the same space where the man who murdered him lived made him a sitting duck.

But the grey tom had gotten stronger. He could do more than just warp from place to place. With his recently discovered ability to shoot orbs of smoke he had an advantage of range and speed.

But he didn't know the full extent of his murderer's powers. As far as he knew the tom could manipulate his own shadow. But whose to say he couldn't manipulate other shadows?

Smokepaw finished his eagle, deciding to get some fresh air and maybe go out on a little hunt. It seemed like a good idea. He needed some time to clear his mind of what had happened over the past week.

The grey tom began to make his way towards the entrance of the Tribe's cave, but not before Mist approached him. "Hi, Smokepaw," the grey tabby greeted, "where are you off to?" she inquired.

"I'm going out to hunt," The WindClan apprentice responded. He briefly wondered if the prey hunter would offer to come with him or stay. He hoped she wouldn't, he just wanted some piece of mind.

"Are you sure?" Mist frowned, concern in her blue eyes, "your ribs are still sore," she reminded.

"I'm fine," Smokepaw dismissed. He turned to exit the cave, "see you later," he called.

"Okay, see you soon," The she-cat responded. She pondered if she should follow him, he might hurt himself or push himself too hard hunting. Mist had done that herself on more than one occasion.

"Where's the clan cat going?" Shade inquired. He had eavesdropped on the conversation, deciding that some useful information may have been included. Unfortunately, it wasn't. However, it provided an opportunity for him to test the Frenchman's strength.

The grey tabby she-cat craned her neck upwards, "o-oh, hi Shade!" she greeted, a soft blush covering her face, "Smokepaw's just going out for a little hunt," she explained.

The black tom nodded, "even though he's injured?" he responded. The metahuman knew he was injured, he had watched him catch that silver tabby and save her from death. With her velocity and mass it was a surprise that he only had cracked ribs. He should have been crushed to death.

But maybe he had a passive power or was just extremely durable. Shade's thoughts drifted to an old friend of his whose reaction times were twice as fast as a normal person. Perhaps the grey tom had denser muscles or bones.

"I think I should go with him," Mist stated, "so he doesn't hurt himself while he's recovering," she mewed. The she-cat began to follow Smokepaw, but was held back as her companion placed his tail in front of her.

"I'll follow him," Shade stated, "you stay here," he ordered. Wordlessly, he followed after the grey tom.

"O-oh, okay. . .s-see you soon!" The she-cat called. She sighed wistfully as she watched the tom leave. If only she could be his mate.

To Mist, Shade was something new and exciting. A handsome cat who kept to himself and seemed to be from a far off place judging by his accent. The she-cat wanted to know more about him. Learn everything about him.

But the tom never seemed interested. Any advances where met with a raised eyebrow and an expression that said "what are you doing?". It's like Shade didn't know what affection was.

Mist sighed to herself. Maybe she just had to be upfront about it. Perhaps Shade couldn't read body language too well or disliked flirting. She could only grumble to herself, she might as well press her muzzle into his. He would get it then.

The she-cat felt butterflies run rampant in her stomach. That seemed like a good idea.

 **...**

Smokepaw padded through the Tribe's rocky terrain, listening to the breeze as it whistled by. This was much better than being stuck in the cave for ages. Away from everything and everyone else.

He always had a place like that wherever he was: A little wooded area in Compiègne, the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the territories for both WindClan and the Tribe of Rushing Water as well.

The Frenchman craned his neck upwards, looking to spot an eagle. He soon sighted one, soaring high above him. How was he supposed to get it down? The Tribe did have a method of hunting birds of prey. Although, it didn't always work.

He sighed to himself, he guess he had to knock it out of the sky. Smoke partially enveloped the tom's paw. The tracked the eagle from his position on the ground, poised to throw.

Smokepaw watched as the bird of prey flapped it's wings, unaware of it's fate. The WindClan apprentice looked to aim a few feet in front of it meaning that the eagle would be hit squarely.

A few seconds passed then, with all his might, he swiped his paw forwards and a smokey projectile went flying from it. A few seconds passed and Smokepaw watched as the eagle and projectile began to reach their intended positions.

The WindClan apprentice watched as the smoke bullet slammed into the bird, making it screech before beginning to plummet to the earth. "That went better than expected," the grey tom mused.

"Nice shot," A familiar voice complimented. A voice Smokepaw had last heard in an alleyway in France.

The metahuman spun around, his murderer now in his sights. As he suspected, it was Shade. The black tom stood, leaning against a rock with the same expression he always carried.

The tribe cat had watched him use his smoke bullet too. _(There goes my one ace up my sleeve)_ , he grumbled in his mind. But he could still outsmart him if he played his cards right.

"You complete moron," Smokepaw smirked, "you fell right into my trap," he exclaimed. It was a bluff, but if he could keep the tom confused for even just a few seconds then that's all he would need to nail him with a smoke bullet.

Shade's eyes widened. How the hell did he pull that off? The tom shouldn't have underestimated him, especially not after the American's performance against him. In a few months time, all of them had received training.

That itself wasn't enough to be a threat. But the simple fact that Shade wasn't in the body he was used to and he still had to regain lost muscle due to that fact he was only allowed to eat once a day gave the Frenchman an advantage.

The black tom narrowed his eyes, something wasn't right. Where was the trap? His eyes darted around, looking for any sign of something being off or suspicious. He was soon met with a smoke bullet to the face, knocking him back.

"There's the trap you're looking for," Smokepaw snorted. That was easier than expected, looks like the cat had over estimated him. A smug smile placed itself on his face, he had this in the bag.

Shade got to his paws, his green eyes narrowed. That little trick wouldn't work again. "Clever." he growled dryly. Phantom tendrils rose from his own shadow, each of them was sharp enough to cut through military-grade steel.

The prey hunter reminded himself that the Frenchman could wrap or manifest himself as smoke. He would have to predict where the grey tom would go. Shade took a gamble and had half of the tendrils shoot left.

Smokepaw dodged to the right, rematerialising then throwing another smoke bullet. He again disappeared as smoke.

Shade dogded the projectile, hearing as it dissipated against the rock behind him. The grey tom had disappeared as smoke, possibly hiding behind one of the many large rocks surrounding him.

Another smokey orb struck his shoulder. The black tom hissed in surprise but ignored the pain. His shadows immediately raced in the direction the projectile came from, slicing away at the boulder it came from.

 _I'm not trying to kill him,_ Shade reminded himself, _I'm testing him_. But if things kept going the way they were then the fine line between testing him and killing him was going to become blurred.

The tom listened for any sound. The area was deathly silent, like he was the only soul there. A whistling sound Soon reach his ears, coming from the north west and down at an angle. His shadows formed a barrier towards that direction, hearing as the bullet impact harmlessly off it.

Shade knew his strategy now. The Frenchman would warp behind a rock, then smack him with one of his orbs, then warp somewhere else. A cowardly, yet sound, strategy. He had to act fast or else he would be stuck in this cycle of hitting-and-running.

The black tom remembered something. Something his best friend had told him years ago, _"a fly can hide from a spider if the web's small, but it can't hide if the whole room's covered in 'em,"_.

It clicked. Leonard used webs to keep track of everything in a room, he could do the same using his shadows. He had complete control over the density and state they were in, he could vaguely feel with them too. He could use that to his advantage.

 _Thanks, Lenny_ , Shade muttered in his mind. He waited for the next orb to come patiently, pretending that he was still looking for his assailant and clueless on how to react to this strategy.

His patience rewarded him as another bullet sped towards him from the east. The tom dodged it. He then summoned as swarm of translucent shadows that shot off in every direction and wrapping around rocks, acting as his web. No matter where the Frenchman went he would be found.

 _Too bad you and the others never came back from Iraq_ , Shade grimaced in his mind. He could feel as the tom moved around as smoke behind another boulder then rematerialising.

Smokepaw huffed from behind his boulder. His strategy wasn't working anymore. Exhaustion was beginning to set in from the constant warping, evidenced by the faint black lines in his vision.

Wait, were they moving? Upon closer inspection, the WindClan apprentice found that they weren't mirages due to fatigue. They were right in front of him. He began to pale, realising they were Shade's shadows.

Without warning, one of the tendrils became pitch black and lunged for him. It wrapped around his neck before he could react, leaving him breathless. He was suddenly yanked forward and out from behind the boulder.

Smokepaw cried out as he was thrown around like a rag doll before he was slammed back-first against a rock. He gasped as the breath was forced out of his lungs along with a trickle of blood.

The grey tom found himself gasping for air on the ground, desperately looking for Shade. If he didn't act now he would surely die a second time and he doubted he would wake up a second time.

The black tom stood looming over the cat sprawled on the ground, his green eyes scrutinising him. The Frenchman had definitely gotten stronger, along with learning how to use his abilities for offence rather than just warping.

Shade had to give credit where it was due. If he hadn't remembered one of Leonard's old tricks then the grey tom could have possibly beaten him. He seemed to be the tactician out of the four of him, although he was a poor one.

Smokepaw glared up at Shade, his vision slowly fading to black, "was. . .was it worthwhile?" he spat weakly, "t-taking me away. . .from the people who lov. . ." he trailed off, falling into unconsciousness.

Shade sighed, "it's just business," he replied. He was aware he was unconscious but he didn't care. The only one it was personal with was the American and that was due to him blowing his arm off.

Tendrils wrapped around Smokepaw's body and he was hoisted onto the tribe cat's back. He set off with the knocked out cat on his back for the Tribe of Rushing Water's cave. If anyone asked, he slipped down a rocky hill and knocked himself out cold.

* * *

 **QOTD: who's your favourite couple? My personal favourite is Sunblaze and Leafpaw but I'm curious to what you think.**


	28. Chapter 28

The ThunderClan patrol -and Crowpaw along with an equally large WindClan patrol- soon set off for ShadowClan, following the two cats from said clan. All cats present were on edge, they would never beat the twolegs. Whether they liked to admit it or not they were all completely and utterly powerless against them. This was a rescue effort.

The only two who stood any chance were Sunblaze and Sparkpaw. They could obliterate any opponent if they had it in them. But they still had the same disadvantage the rest of the patrol had - they were cats.

They were powerful under the right circumstances, but all it took was a well placed, hard kick in the ribs and they were done for. Aside from that they could be physically overpowered easily. The odds were stacked against them.

Sunblaze inhaled and exhaled through his nose, attempting to soothe his nerves. The predicament they were in was absolutely awful. There was no way they could win. Especially since there was plenty of machinery used in operations such as these.

The warrior began walking at Sparkpaw's side, intent on asking him about how bad the situation was. "How bad's the situation?" he asked.

"Real fuckin' bad," the ShadowClan apprentice mewed, "like, diggers everywhere," he mewed.

"What's a 'digger'?" Squirrelpaw inquired. Looking up at Sparkpaw intently.

The brown tabby never realised Squirrelpaw was shorter than him until now. _Good thing I like shorter girls_ , he mused to himself, _wait what?._ He began to blush underneath his fur. Did he just admit to liking her? Thankfully, it was just to himself.

But he still felt ashamed of himself. He had a crush on a cat and after poking fun at Smokepaw for it he also felt hypocritical too. But he guess it was bound to happen to him too with him being a cat and all. But did she like him back? He didn't have a clue.

If she did then that made things worse. Sparkpaw didn't have any clue about what to do in a relationship. He never had one in his life before. Not only that but it was against the code. While the brown tabby could care less about said code he didn't want to be in trouble.

This was like a circus for him.

"Oi, Sparkpaw," Sunblaze mewed, "you still there?" he asked while he nudged his friend. He was a little perplexed, having just watched a rainbow of emotions flash across his friends face in rapid succession.

"I'm good," he replied to Sunblaze. He turned to the ginger she-cat, his face still hot, "diggers. They, like, dig things up," Sparkpaw explained. It wasn't the most detailed explanation, but if was something who had no idea what a digger was could understand.

Squirrelpaw nodded her head in understanding. The entire group froze as a groaning of a tree beginning to fall rang through the air. Soon, a loud 'thud' echoed through the forest that seemed to originate in the direction of ShadowClan. "We need to hurry it up," Tawnypelt urged.

The patrol then began sprinting, whipping through ThunderClan territory, eventually coming closer towards the Thunderpath. The cats prepared to cross, but jumpred back as Crowpaw was almost flattened by a massive yellow monster.

Sunblaze yanked the smokey grey tom back by the scruff of his neck, "you alright there?" he asked.

The WindClan apprentice didn't respond, his eyes wide and darting in every direction. He was hyperventilating, his heart thumping against his ribs like it wanted to be free.

"He's going into shock, I think," Cloudtail replied.

"My god," Sparkpaw groaned. He shoved his way by the two ThunderClan warriors, "stand back, I got this," he mewed. The tabby tom rubbed his front paws together, creating static electricity between them.

He then slapped Crowpaw across the face.

The smokey grey tom sputtered and tumbled onto his hunches. "What was that for?" he hissed, shaken from the sudden blow to the face.

"Cause you had a Vietnam flashback there," replied Sparkpaw.

The WindClan apprentice growled, rearing to make a retort. But another, loud groaning of a tree shut him up. "We need to get to ShadowClan camp, now!" Firestar urged.

They wasted no time in crossing over onto ShadowClan territory. The further they traveled towards the camp the scent of twolegs and their monsters grew more and more prevalent and sickening.

"This doesn't smell too good," Cloudtail grimaced.

"You think? The smell always made me queasy," Sunblaze grimaced.

Soon the rumbling of monsters along with the sounds of excavation and trees falling soon rang in their ears. "I hope we're not too late," Tawnypelt winced as they continued through ShadowClan.

"We're not," Firestar reassured.

The further they travelled the more pugnant the monster scent become along with the sounds of those monsters becoming increasingly louder with each passing second the closer they got to camp.

Not much time passed before the large ThunderClan patrol had burst into ShadowClan camp. Blackstar, whom had been pacing back and fourth hastily and attempting to get his cats out of camp while his warriors helped, looked relieved. "Good work you two," the ShadowClan leader praised.

The place looked like a bomb had went off. With dens that had been torn to pieces, rubble scattered across the ground, and large ditches dug up everywhere. The twolegs didn't even notice them, content with destroying the camp.

The patrol immediately began escorting cats out of the camp, reminiscent of an evacuation. Each cat had to juggle between leading cats out of camp, keeping mind of twolegs and ditches, all topped off with them taking care of themselves.

"C'mon, people! Let's get movin'!" Sparkpaw urged, soon grabbing a kit by the scruff and handing them over to their mother.

"More twolegs!" Cried Squirrelpaw, her face paling as more twolegs and their monsters spilled into what remained of ShadowClan camp.

"Lucky I got here in time then," A voice replied.

Both Sparkpaw and Squirrelpaw turned to find Brambleclaw, with all of RiverClan behind him. The clan began helping with the rescue effort.

Coldpaw approached the two apprentices, "David. Squirrelpaw," he greeted.

"Sparkpaw," the brown tabby corrected.

Both the RiverClan and ThunderClan apprentice shared a look of surprise. "Since when did you use your warrior name?" the ginger she-cat quizzed.

"It grew on me like a tumour, okay?" Sparkpaw grumbled.

"You three want to start actually helping?" A RiverClan tom hissed.

The three apprentices immediately dropped their conversation and went back to assisting ShadowClan cats evacuate their home. Squirrelpaw led an apprentice out of camp, then returned to help Sparkpaw and Coldpaw escort an elder out of camp.

Firestar scanned the camp for any more cats, then soon spotted Onewhisker as he lifted a kit by his scruff. The tom's eyes widened as he noticed an oak tree beginning to fall which would crush both of them if it landed.

"Onewhisker, move!" The ThunderClan leader cried, bolting over to save them. He shoved the two cats out of the way, letting out a relieved sigh before the tree crashed down on him and crushing him to death.

Onewhisker tumbled backwards, the kit still in his possession. The WindClan cat gave shaken breaths, touched and shocked at Firestar gave his life for a cat not even in his clan. They were friends, yes. But the clan came first.

"T-thank you." Onewhisker stuttered out quietly, dipping his head in respect. He scurried out of ShadowClan camp with the kit, not daring to look back.

"Firestar!" Squirrelpaw gasped, tears in her eyes. She knew he would come back as strong as ever. But it didn't stop the heart wrenching feeling enveloping her. Watching someone you love die only to rise up to die another day was an awful experience.

"Oh shit," Sparkpaw winced. He draped her tail over the ginger she-cat, attempted to comfort her. He wasn't sure about being a clan cat anymore.

He had been from a harsher background than most, but this was something else. He never had to worry about getting murdered -except for the one time someone pointed a gun at him- or wonder when the next meal was coming.

With each passing day he found himself asking the same question - why would anyone want to live like this? Was it the same reason people became soldiers or any profession where your safety wasn't guaranteed?

But the tom couldn't leave Squirrelpaw alone. He couldn't abandon the others either. Sparkpaw sure as hell wouldn't leave without killing his murderer either. The simple thought of the cat made his blood boil.

Coldpaw shuddered, "we have to get it off him, there's a chance he's still alive," he called, rushing over to the tree.

The RiverClan apprentice knew that Firestar was dead and that there was little chance that he survived, even in the most critical condition. But he was an optimistic person - even if there was the slimmest chance of a positive outcome he would take it.

The ShadowClan apprentice turned to the ginger she-cat, "stay here, okay?" he ordered softly. He didn't want her to see her father - what was left of him anyways. He marched over briskly to his Russian friend.

"Right, on the count of three," the grey tom mewed, pressing his shoulder against the trunk of the tree.

"A'right," The brown tabby mumbled, copying him. Sparkpaw didn't think there was any chance that Firestar was alive. That would've killed a full grown human. The ginger cat had kicked the bucket.

"One, two, three," Coldpaw grunted, pushing against the tree with all his might. Both cats grunted and hissed, anchoring their paws into the dirt as they began to push themselves in response to them pushing the trunk.

Soon, the both felt as the tree began giving into their combined effort, sounding with a groan as it rolled off Firestar's body. Both cats looked over the corpse, assessing the damage done to it.

Firestar's corpse didn't look like it had been crushed as they were both expecting, instead it looked like he had just dropped dead. His lifeless eyes stared into nothing, wide with the last emotion he ever felt - shock.

"Well, at least his insides are inside," The ShadowClan apprentice muttered.

Coldpaw pressed his ear against the corpse's chest, listening for a heartbeat but was greeted by nothing. He lifted his head upwards, a solemn look in his blue eyes. "He's passed on," the RiverClan apprentice stated, a grave tone in his voice.

But it suddenly began twitching. Sparkpaw's eyes widened, he took a slow step backwards. It was impossible. Firestar was dead. Nobody could survive that - not even them.

The grey tom looked towards his friend, raising an eyebrow at his sudden weariness. But he too jumped back as Firestar's body stirred. The two cats watched in horror as the ginger tom's dead body shambled to it's feet, groaning as it did so.

"H-he's..." Coldpaw stuttered.

"-A zombie!" Sparkpaw cried, energy crackling in his veins. This was bad. _Very_ bad. All it took was the smallest scratch to get an outbreak started.

Squirrelpaw bounded over to the undead cat, "dad!" she cried out happily, nuzzling the reanimated corpse.

"S-squirrelpaw, what the fuck are you doing!" The brown tabby shrieked, expecting the monster to take a bite out of his own daughter.

The ginger she-cat turned to him, confusion in her green eyes, "um, making sure my dad's okay?" she mewed.

"But he's-"

"-But I'm what?" Firestar inquired, wiping away the blood that stained the corners of his mouth with his tail. He was completely fine, like he wasn't just crushed by a falling tree. He didn't even possess any undead qualities. It's like he never died in the first place.

"Y-you're dead," Coldpaw mewed, cautious about the revived cat.

"Leaders have nine lives gifted to them by StarClan," the ThunderClan leader explained, "that was my. . .second or third one?" he mewed.

The two cats shared a glance, "so. . .you're not going to eat us?" Sparkpaw mewed.

"What?" Squirrelpaw and Firestar asked in unison. The ginger tom shook his head, "it doesn't matter, we need to get out," he urged.

"I'll distract the twolegs," the ThunderClan apprentice offered, "so they don't follow us," she explained.

"We'll both be the distraction," The grey tom stated, "we can cause more confusion if there's two of us," Sparkpaw nodded in agreement, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to see what the lightning strike did to his powers - of it did anything.

Squirrelpaw went to object, but was hushed by Firestar, "StarClan's with you both," he reassured. He called for ThunderClan to retreat, as did Tallstar and Leopardstar for their respective clans.

"So, there's two of us, and they have a digger and two guys walking around," The ShadowClan apprentice assessed.

The twolegs hadn't noticed them yet, but they had been a pain to deal with while they evacuated ShadowClan as they attempted to grab them or stick their boot in the closest cat's gut.

The brown tabby felt he had a score to settle too. They had wrecked his home and caused him some distress. This was a nice way to get back as far as he was concerned.

"Just do as I do and we'll be fine," Coldpaw reassured.

"No, _you_ do as _I_ do," Sparkpaw retorted.

"Just keep quiet." The RiverClan cat groaned.

The two cats immediately went for the the biggest threat - the digger. Coldpaw crawled underneath the machine, freezing both front and back axles to prevent the wheels from moving. He scurried out of underneath the machine, his objective met.

The grey tom heard as the driver attempted to drive the vehicle forward, only to be greeted with a loud and unnatural creaking. The driver opened the machine's door, leaning out to assess the problem.

A whistle fell upon his ears, coming from above his head. The driver ignored the sound, believing it was a bird that landed on the roof of the digger. Then a 'thud' sounded from the roof, like someone or something was jumping on it.

The driver's head spun to face above him, glaring and ready to shoo away whatever was on his roof. His eyes widened as he saw a cat grinning at him. Sparkpaw looked down at the driver, _you're in for it now, fucker_ , he sneered in his mind.

The ShadowClan apprentice's paw became enveloped in electricity. However, it was definitely different than normal. Usually, his paw would have a few arcs of energy snaking around it but it was almost fully covered in electrical energy.

The brown tabby raised his paw high above his head, having a feeling it operated much more differently from the bolts he was used to. The twoleg paled, then cried out and fled from his machine.

Sparkpaw brought his paw down. The air around him exploded with energy and the air roared with power, everything surrounding him had gone white. He was shocked, this is what the lightning did to him?

When his vision cleared, the tom found that he wasn't on top of the digger but instead was on the other side of the ruined camp. The machine lay in a smouldering scarp pile as the twolegs ran around frantically in hysterics.

"Wow." Was all Sparkpaw could muster. The tom had no idea he could muster up so much power like that. He decimated a digger, something made to take abuse, like it was wet paper. If he hit something living with that...

He decided that whatever he used would be a last resort, when death was at his door and he had nothing else left. It was a nuclear bomb made from pure, unadulterated power. He didn't want to use it again.

Coldpaw came running over to the downed cat, "Sparkpaw! Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. He helped the brown tabby to his paws.

"I'm good," The ShadowClan apprentice dismissed. Although, his senses had returned to him and he felt like someone threw him into a meat grinder then dumped him into salt and lemon juice right after.

Sparkpaw looked down at his body, knowing there was no way he made it unscathed. He was right. His body was covered in scrapes and cuts, some with small bits of dirt in them. He sighed, he had to visit Littlecloud when he got back.

The three twolegs spotted them, then began shouting and hurling vulgar insults as they charged towards the two cats.

Coldpaw growled at their aggression, "(go to hell.)" he spat. The grey tom swiped at the air, causing a blanket of rime and frost to cover the ground.

One of the twolegs stepped on the frozen sheet then it immediately exploded just as it had on the mountain when he first discovered it. He cried out in pain as his legs was ripped up by tiny crystals of frost, tearing his trouser leg and covering his leg in cuts.

The wounded man clutched at his leg as he writhed on the ground. The other two took a step back, staring at Coldpaw with eyes wide with fear. The grey tom spat at them, swiping at the air to keep them at bay.

The twoleg on the left glanced at his companion, a look that insinuated he had a plan. He began approaching the RiverClan cat slowly, speaking in a tone reserved for dogs to let them know you were no threat.

Coldpaw let out a low hiss, "(I'm not some dumb animal,)" he spat, his fur standing on end. He immediately spun round and swiped at the air again, making a barrage of icicles spur from the ground.

The second twoleg had attempted to sneak behind him - an unbelievably predictable move. One of the icicles grazed the side of his calf, causing him to howl in pain and stumble onto his back.

Sparkpaw dispatched of the last twoleg, hitting him with an electric bolt square in the stomach. He immediately collapsed, his muscles spasming in response to the shock. "Bullseye." he smirked.

The RiverClan tom turned to him, "how much voltage was in that?" he inquired.

The brown tabby shrugged in response, "I dunno,".

"It takes ten milliamps across the heart to kill a man," Coldpaw mewed, "but you didn't hit him in the chest and he didn't have his hand holding anything, so looks like you just gave him a severe burn," he sighed.

"Lucky him," Sparkpaw commented. The two sat in silence, taking in the havoc they caused, "time to head back?" he asked.

"Time to head back," Coldpaw affirmed.

The two cats made their way out the destroyed camp of ShadowClan, paying no mind to the pained twolegs just as they had ignored them as they scrambled frantically to evacuate ShadowClan camp.

"Hey," The ShadowClan apprentice mewed.

"What?" Replied the RiverClan apprentice.

"How'd you know how much electricity it takes to kill someone?" Sparkpaw inquired.

"I'm an electrical engineer, I'm supposed to know that if I don't want to die," Coldpaw replied.

"Y'know, my brother's at college to become an electrical engineer," he responded.

"Really? What's his name?" Asked the grey tom, genuine curiosity in his eyes. He wasn't aware Sparkpaw had an older brother.

"Allen," Sparkpaw replied, holding his head up in pride. His older brother achieved what he could never do - he made a better life for himself because he actually tried to to further his education and succeeded. David never even considered putting effort in.

The two cats continued on in silence, focusing on getting back home to their clans. Until Sparkpaw broke the silence as they crossed the Thunderpath.

"I never told you, but you're pretty cool," the brown tabby admitted, "kinda remind me of Al a little," he added.

Coldpaw smiled, "that's touching," he said. The two cats fell into silence again, continuing their march home. "So when do you plan on asking Squirrelpaw out?" the long-furred tom asked.

"Fuck you there's nothing between us." Sparkpaw stammered, glaring daggers at Coldpaw as his face turn a deep hue of scarlet.


	29. Chapter 29

The ThunderClan patrol returned to their temporary camp at Sunningrocks, the entirety of the now homeless ShadowClan in tow. All cats were tired, afraid, and in desperate need of shelter.

Sunblaze felt pangs of pity and empathy for ShadowClan. It was awful to be ripped away from your home in such a brutal manner. After all that had occurred, it was still only a few moons ago he had been ripped away from his home.

 _It's months, you big dafty,_ the tom corrected himself. His time with the clans had been affecting his dialect, such as calling moths moons instead of months, he'd even caught himself using clan insults. The warrior chuckled to himself. Soon it would be like he'd been living here for all his life.

Firestar, who had been at the front of the patrol, turned to Blackstar, "you and your clan can stay here until we solve our twoleg problem," he stated. The normally proud and charismatic leader looked as weary as his clan did.

Blackstar paused for a second, almost as if he was swallowing his pride before giving him answer. He took a look at his clan, assessing all their tired faces and the desperation in their eyes.

"I accept your offer," The white tom finally answered. The whole of ShadowClan began to make themselves at home, some choosing to chat with the cats from WindClan or ThunderClan and others curled up in unoccupied nests.

"Sparkpaw!" Blackstar barked, "you're still taking care of the elders, understand?" he called out. But the ShadowClan leader heard nothing from his rebellious apprentice, not even an irritated groan or yowl of protest.

The white tom growled, "that little..." he seethed. First, he ran away without as much as saying a word and worrying him sick then he has the audacity to skip his punishment? The simple thought filled Blackstar with rage that threatened to overflow. The next time he was the brown tabby he would make him wish he was never born.

"Blackstar," Firestar mewed.

"What?" The ShadowClan leader snapped.

"Sparkpaw stayed behind to distract the twolegs," the ginger cat explained. He rested his tail on the other leader's shoulder as his face fell and anger gave way to shock. The apprentice was most likely dead or captured along with Coldpaw.

"He'll be fine," Sunblaze chimed in, "he's tough as nails," he meowed. The tom wasn't worried for them, after their journey home he doubted there was anything they couldn't handle.

Blackstar sighed then nodded, "when he comes back I'll let him know his punishment is reduced," he stated.

"Just lift it, will ya?" A new voice groaned, "I ain't checking them for ticks again, mousebile reeks like vomit," he complained.

The three cats turned to him, sighting a brown tabby along with a larger long furred grey tom. The tabby was littered with cuts all over him and a scar decorated his right shoulder. The grey tom looked much better, although his left ear was torn so badly it almost appeared as three ears.

"Sparkpaw, I never thought you'd risk your life for your clan's sake," The ShadowClan leader commented, yet he swelled with pride for his apprentice.

"Uh. . .thanks?" Sparkpaw replied.

Both leaders turn to the larger grey tom, "you. You're that new RiverClan apprentice, aren't you?" Blackstar leered. He couldn't forget a cat like him, especially when he started speaking gibberish at the last gathering he was at.

Coldpaw nodded, "I would love to chat, sir. But I have to return to my clan," he mewed respectfully. He dipped his head, "(good bye.)" he said, then turned in the direction of RiverClan and padded away.

The two leaders sat, puzzled by the gibberish. Firestar looked towards Blackstar with an expression that said "is he right in the head?".

"Show off." Sparkpaw muttered. He turned his attention to Blackstar, "so, where's Littlecloud?" he asked.

"Where do you think?" The ShadowClan leader snorted.

The ShadowClan apprentice rolled his eyes in response, stalking away from his leader. "Jackass." he muttered underneath his breath. He soon came to the realisation that he had no clue where the medicine cat den was.

Sparkpaw scanned around camp, a lost expression on his face. Sunblaze soon padded up beside him, "you alright?" he meowed.

"Yeah, you know where the medicine den is?" The brown tabby mewed.

"Just follow me." The ThunderClan warrior replied, beckoning him with his tail. The two cats padded towards a large crack in the bottom of Sunningrocks, "it's in there," he stated.

"Thanks," Sparkpaw muttered, entering the den. Sunblaze followed in after him, wanting to talk to Leafpaw for a while. The brown tabby raised an eyebrow at him, "uh. . .what're you in for?"

"Reasons," The gold tom responded curtly.

The medicine den was a cosy cave, dimly lit and the ground was sand underneath their paws. It was long, stretching around a corner where bounties of herbs were stored. A moss nest for injured cats sat in the corner.

The ShadowClan apprentice pondered briefly what he was being so secretive about. He soon remembered what Squirrelpaw had told him when they had been hunting during their journey. _Maybe he hooked up with. . .Leavespaw was it?_ He asked himself.

But he knew Sunblaze trusted him and was well aware what he thought of the rule concerning medicine cats and mates.

"Littlecloud, you there?" He called out.

He was greeted with a response, but it wasn't from Littlecloud. "Littlecloud's out with Cinderpelt and Barkface to get herbs," the she-cat responded. The cat soon showed herself, a short brown tabby with a white underbelly, paws, and muzzle and amber eyes.

"Hiya, Leafpaw," Sunblaze purred.

"Hi, Sunblaze," Leafpaw smiled. She reluctantly turned her attention away from the gold tom, "what do you need Littlecloud for?" the she-cat inquired.

"To patch me up," Sparkpaw replied simply. He caught the medicine cat apprentice eyeing up Sunblaze before she had spoke to him. _She's got the hots for him_ , he commented to himself.

"I can do it," Leafpaw stated, "let me get some cobwebs," she mewed, turning around the corner to get some.

"So..." Sparkpaw mewed as he turned to Sunblaze, "you and her got somethin' goin'?" he accused in a teasing manner. The tom found it pretty amusing whenever Sunblaze got riled up. This was a perfect opportunity to get him in that state.

"Yep." Sunblaze responded, a dumb grin on his face.

The ShadowClan apprentice had to double take, "wait, I thought- what?" he stammered. A part of him was outraged that Sunblaze, the most awkward guy he's ever met, got a girlfriend before he did.

He sighed, knowing he just had to accept it, "good for you, man," he mewed. But knowing he was possibly the last out of the four to find someone installed a feeling of loneliness.

Sparkpaw was reminded of Coldpaw's teasing. He realised the RiverClan cat had a point. He needed to ask Squirrelpaw out soon before someone else beat him to the punch. _Maybe after this all blows over_ , he told himself.

Leafpaw padded around the corner with bundles of leaves full of cobwebs. "It's alright Leafpaw, we can drop the act," Sunblaze stated.

The medicine cat apprentice dropped the leaf bundle as she gasped, "you _told_ him?" she hissed.

Sunblaze's face fell and Sparkpaw's eyes widened, "you fucked up now," he muttered to his friend.

"L-listen love, we can trust him," The warrior reasoned with his mate. He didn't look scared, but more desperate to avoid a fight above anything.

He had every right to be - he was in a relationship that could land them both in serious trouble if they were ever found out. If they caused a commotion then it would only serve to bring more attention to them.

Leafpaw opened her mouth to lecture him, but instead let out a frustrated hissed. "Fine. I trust you," she mewed to her mate.

"Aw, you're so bloody adorable when you're angry," Sunblaze purred, nuzzling his mate. He entwined his tail with hers and rested his head against her.

The tabby she-cat attempted glare at the warrior despite the corners of her lips twitching to smile. She sighed, purring loudly as she pressed against her mate. The she-cat began nuzzling her mate, continuing to purr loudly.

Sparkpaw felt awkward watching the couple, feeling like he intruded on a private moment. "Uh. . .cobwebs?" he asked, pointing to the leaf bundle with his tail. A part of him felt like telling them to get a room.

"O-oh, right. S-sorry," Leafpaw stuttered, pressing her ears against her head in embarrassment. She began treating his wounds, covering his larger cuts with the cobwebs.

They sat in an awkward silence while the medicine cat apprentice worked on the ShadowClan apprentice. Both Leafpaw and Sunblaze felt awkward that he had been so affectionate in front on his friend while Sparkpaw felt awkward having watched the two.

"So," The ThunderClan warrior started, "are you going to ask Squirrelpaw out any time soon?" he teased.

After spending some time on it Sunblaze came to the conclusion that the ShadowClan apprentice like the ginger she-cat as something more than friends. It seemed that the brown tabby wasn't aware of his own feelings until this morning when they went to evacuate ShadowClan camp.

Sparkpaw glared at the gold tom, his cheeks turned a deep scarlet hue, "go to hell, I haven't got any feelings for her," he hissed.

"That's a shame," The brown tabby she-cat mewed, "Squirrelpaw likes you, but I guess it's for the best if you two are-"

"-Hold up, run that one by me again," The ShadowClan cat interrupted. He wasn't sure if he had just heard Leafpaw say that Squirrelpaw liked him or if he was just hearing what he wanted to hear.

"I said Squirrelpaw likes you," Leafpaw repeated.

"How do you know?" Sparkpaw inquired, attempting not to grin like an idiot. He really didn't care how she knew but just knowing that Squirrelpaw liked him back was all he needed to hear.

"We're sisters, we just know what each other feels or thinks," The medicine cat apprentice smiled.

Before either Sparkpaw or Sunblaze could comment, a call from outside rang inside the medicine den. The unexpected call caused the gold tom to jump a little, then frown as his mate giggled at him.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath Sunningrocks!" It yowled. The voice undoubtedly belonged to Firestar.

The three cats padded out of the medicine cat den, becoming part of the sea of cats gathered. For the two metahumans it was strange to see so many cats in one place, even after living in a clan for the past few months.

"Look! There's Coldpaw!" The ThunderClan cat commented.

"Where?" The ShadowClan apprentice responded, attempting to get a view over the head of the other cats.

"Down in front." He mewed, pointing towards the tom with his tail. The two cats saw Coldpaw, sitting at the base of Sunning Rocks alongside a group of RiverClan cats.

Suddenly, Squirrelpaw approached the three cats and sat beside Sparkpaw, "Hiya, Sparkpaw," she greeted.

Sparkpaw's heart began beating against his chest as he felt his face heat up like a furnace, "uh, hi Squirrelpaw," he greeted awkwardly.

Firestar, Tallstar, and Blackstar sat on top of the Sunningrocks, each of them had solem and grim expressions. It was easy to see whatever announcement they were bound to make was not a cheerful one.

The ThunderClan leader spoke, "Tallstar and I have been discussing how to solve our twoleg problem," his voice rang out over the now silent crowd.

They began murmuring to each other, wondering what their solution was. Perhaps it was an all-out assault from all four clans to drive the twolegs out. Maybe they would follow them and see what kind of prey they ate and stuffed it with deathberries while they weren't looking.

"We decided we cannot stay in the forest any longer," Tallstar mewed, "if we stay any longer then it will only be a matter of time until we are destroyed by the twolegs." he stated, a solem tone in his voice.

All clan cats gasped, then let out yowls of protest. They wouldn't flee from battle, especially if that fight was a matter of preserving their homes and way of life. It didn't matter I'd it was a pack of dogs or a group of twolegs.

But deep down they all knew it was futile. ShadowClan camp had been destroyed and WindClan territory was uninhabitable. It seemed the only thing that could stop the destruction of the forest was StarClan - and they had been eerily silent throughout the ordeal.

"Silence!" Blackstar yowled, "I want to rake my claws across the twolegs' faces as much as you do. But unfortunately there's nothing we can do against them or their monsters," he stated, "it would be suicide to fight," he added solemnly.

The ThunderClan and WindClan leaders nodded in agreement, "we leave at dawn tomorrow and head for highstones," Firestar meowed. He remained silent briefly, waiting to see if there was any protest to their decision.

"Clan dismiss-"

"Hold on," Blackstar interrupted.

Tallstar raised an eyebrow at the white tom, "what's the matter, Blackstar?" he inquired.

"I still have to make my apprentice a warrior after his efforts to ensure ShadowClan escaped," The ShadowClan leader explained, "Sparkpaw, step forth." he called out to the crowd.

Squirrelpaw gasped, "he's going to make you a warrior!"

"Good on you, you deserve it," praised Sunblaze.

The ShadowClan apprentice shifted his way through the sea of cats, those who were ShadowClan cats gave him some praise and congratulations as he passed them. Then he was soon at the base of Sunningrocks.

"Up here." Blackstar commanded.

Sparkpaw nodded, then scrambled up the rocks to his mentor and leader's side. He plopped himself down on his hunches, holding his head up high in pride.

Blackstar initiated his apprentice's warrior ceremony, "I, Blackstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." he recited.

The ShadowClan leader turned to Sparkpaw, "Sparkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" he asked.

"I do." Replied Sparkpaw, loud and clearly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sparkpaw, from this moment you will be known as Sparkclaw. StarClan honors your courage and fighting skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Blackstar ended the ceremony, full of pride for his apprentice.

"Sparkclaw! Sparkclaw! Sparkclaw!" ShadowClan chanted.

The newly made ShadowClan warrior held his head up high, basking in the glory. Aside from getting what he thought was a cool name, he was now free from his mentor. He did what he wanted now and when it suited him.

"You still need to take care of the elders, by the way," Blackstar reminded.

"Sonuva bitch." Sparkclaw groaned.


	30. Chapter 30

Everything was tranquil on RiverClan territory late at night. A light breeze ran through the territory, making grass and reeds alike sway callously in the light wind. The river trickled through the territory, making little noise as it moved along.

The night was clear, stars twinkled brightly in the massive expanse of black they inhabited. A waning crescent moon hung high in the night sky, casting a gentle and soft silver light over the territory.

Coldpaw sat awake in his nest inside the apprentice den of RiverClan camp, looking out into the night. Today had been extremely eventful to say the least. He had helped Sparkpaw distract the twolegs during the destruction of ShadowClan's camp and Leopardstar had opted to join the other leaders and leave the forest at dawn tomorrow.

The atmosphere in RiverClan had been solemn since their leader agreed to flee. It was hard blow to the clan cats' pride. Some had even decided that they would rather die alongside their home than flee. Leopardstar had agreed to those cats' wishes.

More positively, Coldpaw would undergo an assessment to prove he was worthy of becoming a RiverClan warrior. But to the grey tom it felt like it was hardly necessary with the way Hawkfrost had been talking about him and how he had distracted the twolegs to allow RiverClan to escape.

"Leopardstar's a little more harsh when it comes to those who weren't born in RiverClan, like us two," Hawkfrost had explained to him, "but don't worry _too_ much, she's well aware of your progress." the dark brown tabby had reassured him.

The RiverClan apprentice sighed to himself, dreading tomorrow and the following few weeks. They would be full of hardships for everyone part of a clan - from kits to elders. Uncertainty lay ahead and nobody could prepare for it. Not even him or his companions.

The long furred cat got to his paws, quietly tiptoeing out of the apprentice den. If tonight was going to be his last night in the forest then he had to pay his mate a visit and explain to her what was happening.

Coldpaw's heart fluttered at the thought of Princess, the she-cat who helped him overcome his sorrows and doubts about his failed relationships. Because of her the thought of Sasha didn't destroy him like it once did.

Instead, it felt like a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He no longer compared every woman/she-cat he met to Sasha. The grey tom no longer felt like he had failed miserably or that his mistakes would haunt him. He felt free.

The RiverClan apprentice had to visit Princess for one last time. He didn't know where the clans would go or how far away it would be from her. That's why he had to make tonight something worthwhile- something they wouldn't forget.

Coldpaw sneaked out of camp, trudging through the murky water of the river as he felt it flow past his paws. Once he reached the other side of the riverbank he decided to catch a fish.

The image of an iconic scene from _The Lady and The Tramp_ played in his mind, causing him to purr in amusement at the thought of himself and Princess sharing a fish only to accidentally press their muzzles together. "(If only.)" he chuckled to himself, submerging his claws underneath the water.

The grey tom sat patiently, watching for the glinting silver scales of a fish. His patience was rewarded and soon a glimmer of scales shone from the water. Coldpaw methodically hooked the fish with his claws and flung it out from it's habitat and out into the air.

The fish landed beside him, flopping around in panic. The RiverClan apprentice purred a little in amusement, picking the aquatic animal up in his jaws and setting off for ThunderClan territory.

As it turned out, on the other side of ThunderClan territory lay Chelford - the twolegplace where himself, Smokepaw, and Sunblaze had met Princess - and luckily enough Princess' abode faced the territory.

But it also meant that days of in-fighting, constant traveling, and a near death experience had been complete wastes of time. If they had just walked to the other end of Sunblaze, Squirrelpaw, and Brambleclaw's territory and jumped a fence entire _days_ would have been could have been missed out.

The simple thought made him want to face palm so hard he would break his skull. But he wouldn't have met Princess if he hadn't so it wasn't all bad.

Coldpaw came to the river that separated RiverClan and ThunderClan territory. Water from the river surged around huge stones that jutted out from the water, foam around their bases.

The grey tom leaped from boulder to boulder, careful not to fall into the river. Soon after, he landed on the other side with a soft grunt. Unfortunately, he now had to walk alongside the river unless he wanted to walk through Sunningrocks where he would be ripped to shreds by ThunderClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan cats.

He padded silently through the rival clan's territory, despite knowing that there was no way someone would be out this late at night he wouldn't take any chances. After around half an hour he found himself facing a tall garden fence.

Coldpaw sighed solemnly, knowing this could be the last time he ever saw Princess again. But he would always keep his promise, he was hers - no matter where he went. He bunched the muscles in his hind legs, grunting as he leaped onto the fence.

He spent the next few minutes searching for Princess' house. The grey tom eventually found the house he was looking for. Just as Sunblaze had the first time they met the house cat, he jumped onto window ledge and peered in.

The inside of the house was pitch black, not a single light was on. The RiverClan apprentice could see his mate's cat bed tucked in the corner of the living room, her form curled up inside.

Coldpaw frowned, realising he had to get Princess' attention. He unsheathed his claws, feeling them slide out of his paws. The grey tom began tapping the window, hoping it would be loud enough for the tabby she-cat to hear.

The RiverClan apprentice could see his mate stirr in her bed. He began tapping faster and louder. He saw her ears swivelled in his direction. She soon turned to face him, but due to the darkness outside she could only see his silhouette.

Princess stalked towards the cat flap at the back door, believing Coldpaw to be an intruder. She burst out of the cat flap, baring her teeth at Coldpaw. She soon realised who it was and she immediately dropped her aggressive behaviour.

"Coldpaw!" Princess squealed.

Coldpaw jumped down from the window ledge, landing silently on his paws. He put the fish he had been carrying in his jaws on the ground. "Miss me?" he asked, grinning.

"Of course I did," The house cat purred, nuzzling her mate. She next noticed the fish at his side, "what's the fish for?" she queried.

"Our dinner," Coldpaw replied simply. He nudged the fish towards Princess, putting it between them. The brown tabby she-cat smiled at him. While she wasn't too keen on eating fresh-kill she didn't want to be rude.

The house cat took a small bite out of the fish, chewing it slowly. It tasted similar to the fish chunks her twolegs gave her. She began to dig in and soon her mate joined her. He sat beside her, entwining his tail with hers.

"It tastes like the fish my twolegs give me," Princess commented, purring as she leaned against Coldpaw.

"Princess," Coldpaw meowed. A desire to stay by his mate's side bubbled within him, to put the clans behind him and live a peaceful like where he didn't need to worry about food or if he would be attacked by a rival group.

But he needed to be there for the others. He couldn't abandon them, not after what they had went through together and the challenges they faced. Not to mention their murderer had returned.

"Yes?" Princess responded, craning her neck upwards. She was still pressed against him, their pelts brushing together.

The RiverClan apprentice needed mustered up the courage to explain what was happening with the clans, and how it was going to affect him. "The clans are going to move at dawn," he stated.

The she-cat detached herself from her mate's pelt, "what?" she meowed, hardly above a whisper. She didn't want to believe what she was hearing. Princess didn't want him to leave. He was perfect; he was smart, brave, loving, tall, and handsome. Such a perfect cat couldn't leave.

"The clans are leaving tomorrow at dawn," Coldpaw repeated, "it's not safe for us here. Some of our territories have been destroyed by twolegs," his tone was somber.

"Can't you stay here? With me?" Princess inquired. She was growing desperate. The house cat knew their relationship was a little impulsive, yet it didn't take away from her desire to have Coldpaw close to her.

The she-cat hadn't known her mate for too long but in the bottom of her heart she knew that their relationship was something special. And if things went smoothly then she had no doubt in her mind that in time she would want a family with him.

But it seemed like that dream had been crushed in front of her.

The grey tom sighed, pulling his mate closer to him. He heard Princess sob lightly as she buried her face in his chest, knowing that he couldn't stay. He nuzzled her reassuringly, "I can't stay, and I wish I could," he admitted, "but I promise if anything goes wrong I will come back here." he swore.

Princess nodded slowly. She looked up at Coldpaw, who looked down at her with love in his blue eyes. "So, did you only come here to tell me the clans are leaving?" she asked, her tail swaying softly behind her.

"Of course not," Coldpaw meowed, "I came here because I wanted to spend on last night with you," he stated.

"I didn't think you came here only to tell me that," Princess purred. She sighed, pressing herself against the RiverClan cat, nuzzling him as she purred softly, "I couldn't think of a better cat to spend the night with." she meowed wistfully.

Coldpaw purred, resting his head against the tabby she-cat. He entwined his tail with hers, his eyes drifting towards the night sky. He didn't want tonight to end for anything.


	31. Chapter 31

Smokepaw shifted in his nest, still drifting along in unconsciousness. Soon, his senses returned to him. The ambience of the Tribe of Rushing Water's cave fell on his ears and the feeling of his soft feather and moss nest against his skin.

He exhaled through his nose, slowly opening his eyes to be met with the familiar scene of the cave and early morning rays shining into the Tribe's camp. He looked to his left, seeing the sleeping form of Feathertail curled up in her nest as her chest slowly rose and fell rhythmically in her sleep.

The WindClan cat's heart quivered in emotional pain at the sight of her and he quickly got up from his nest, deciding breakfast would take his mind off of his rejection. After a week spent mauling over his rejection and finding the cons far outweighed the pros of having a relationship with Feathertail - he still kept asking himself one question.

Why Crowpaw?

Smokepaw shoved any thoughts of the two cats out of his mind. He should be mature about the situation and move on - not mope about it like a spoiled brat who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

The grey tom took an eagle from the Tribe's fresh-kill pile. He plucked out the feathers from the dead bird, deciding to make use of them later by putting them in his nest. He soon began to tuck into his meal.

It must have been extremely early in the morning, maybe around six. Not a single cat was up and about. Smokepaw had maybe an hour to himself before Stone Teller checked on him and the RiverClan cat he had been accompanying.

Soon, Shade Underneath The Tree padded towards the fresh-kill pile. The air soon grew tense as the black cat approached. It took all of Smokepaw's will not to attack him right then and there.

Shade, for reasons Smokepaw couldn't understand, had actually let him live after their skirmish several days ago. He had carried the unconscious cat on his back and told the Tribe that the grey tom had fallen whilst hunting and knocked himself out.

And the Tribe believed Shade. Why wouldn't they? Smokepaw was recovering from an injury, and there was no visible wounds to suggest he had been attacked. The tom must have taken that into account.

The prey hunter then had the audacity to sit beside Smokepaw, causing the grey cat's fur to bristle. The WindClan apprentice glared daggers at the Tribe cat as he nibbled on an eagle.

"Do you mind?" Smokepaw hissed through gritted teeth. After what Shade had done to him he still decided it was a good idea to sit next to him? He must be either the most delusional or the most arrogant cat on planet earth.

"No." replied Shade. Casually, he went back to eating his eagle.

The WindClan apprentice released a low growl from the back of his throat. He hated to admit it to himself but the prey hunter's sudden confidence intimidated him. When they first arrived he didn't go anywhere near them. He didn't even open his mouth.

Now he was sitting right next to someone he attacked. It made the hairs on the back of Smokepaw's neck stand on end. Was he planning something? Or did he just feel that now he knew he was here that there was nothing to hide?

Shade soon finished his meal, setting the carcass aside. The grey tom continued to glare at him, the tense feeling escalating between the two cats. "I'm curious as to why you and your party came through here," the black cat admitted suddenly.

Smokepaw snorted, "I don't care."

The Tribe cat ignored the snarky response and continued pressing the Frenchman with questions, "so why are you travelling?" he queried.

"Reasons." the grey tom spat. He understood what Shade was doing, he was going to badger him with questions until something slipped out, whether it be a juicy piece of information or a measly sliver.

"Why so secretive?" Shade meowed, leering at Smokepaw. Not that it mattered if the grey tom was being shut-in. Feathertail had told him everything he didn't already know. He could condemn her for being so open.

But who was he to judge? Technically, he didn't exist since he was six years old. Anything that wasn't confidential was 'open' information to him.

"Because _you_ don't deserve to know a damn thing," The WindClan apprentice retorted, "how about I ask a question - why did you kill me? Why did you kill the others and why are you here? Tell me!" he demanded.

A flurry of emotions played across Shade's face, shock, surprise, anger. "Why?" he repeated. The tom stood up, towering over Smokepaw. "Because I was offered the chance to have a normal life and live it any damn way I wanted," he growled, "I've been walking down one road since I was six and I wasn't given a choice or say in the matter. Then, I get a chance to live normal life, to do what _I_ wanted, live the way _I_ wanted to, to be _human_ , and you expect me to pass that up?" for the first time in his life, Shade felt genuine anger and frustration.

Smokepaw immediately shrank back as his eyes widened. He didn't expect such an emotional response from what he perceived to be a cold, unfeeling machine of a cat. Now standing before him was someone who seemed to be experiencing anger for the first time in his life.

Shade continued, "I know what I did to you and the other three was wrong and I can't atone for it," he stated truthfully, "but I don't care that it was immoral - if I had to blow up a hospital I would've done it in a heartbeat."

The WindClan apprentice gained enough courage to glare up at the massive cat, "selfish bastard." he spat. Beforehand, the tom's reasons for murdering them was a complete mystery. Now that it was clear - Shade was low-life scum.

The prey hunter stalked by the grey tom, claws unsheathed due to frustration. "I couldn't care less to what you think," he leered, "my happiness overrules yours." he padded off, his tail lashing behind him.

Smokepaw sat with his mouth agape. While he stood by his response to the cat's motivation, a single question nagged and gnawed at his mind ferociously. What the hell happened to Shade to put him on one set path? What was that path anyway?

The grey tom was brought back to reality as he felt someone nudge him. The cat swiftly turned his head to face the cat and found Mist Where Sunlight Shimmers. "Oh, hi Mist," he greeted.

He had been talking a lot more with Mist recently after she had offered to teach him how to hunt eagles after his 'accident'. Since then the two cats had been friends, enjoying each other's company.

The tabby she-cat didn't reply, only watching as Shade walked away. "I asked him to be my mate the other day," she meowed in a hushed tone. She looked towards the ground, almost as if remembering a sullen memory.

The hairs on the back of the WindClan apprentice's neck stood on end for a second time. How could anyone love that cold and morally-deprived monster? "By the sounds of it, it didn't go well," he commented.

Mist shook her head and sighed, "no, it didn't," the prey hunter grumbled, "I poured my heart out to him, and he just told me 'no' and walked off," she sighed, her ears flattening against her head.

Smokepaw draped his tail over Mist's shoulders. "I know the feeling," he said sympathetically.

The tabby she-cat smiled slightly, looking up at him. "It's nice to know I have someone who I can turn to if I'm feeling down," she said, pressing against the WindClan apprentice.

Smokepaw watched as Shade's tail disappeared outside the mouth of the cave. Dread built in his gut. David, Evan, Ivan, and himself were growing stronger each and every day. But would it be enough to beat Shade?

He didn't know anymore. All he could do now was hold out until either his ribs and Feathertail's leg healed or until the others came back. He could only hope until then that Shade wouldn't launch another assault.


	32. Chapter 32

The night was calm, the trees that dotted the edges of a vast expanse of fields swayed softly in the gentle breeze and their leaves rustled. Nocturnal creatures scurried around, nibbling on seeds and nuts scattered within the grass.

Dark, wispy clouds populated the night sky. Yet the pale, silver moon's light pierced through their barrier and provided a soft light to illuminate the grassy expanse. All was silent, save for the soft sound of wind through the trees.

However, the same silence that normally occupied Barley's barn had dispersed. Instead, it was alive with the chatter of warriors, the squeals of kits, and the irritated snapping of elders.

The clans had fled their homes and narrowly escaped danger, deciding it was better to let the twolegs destroy their territories than destroy them and had took refuge at the barn for the night, taking shelter within a ruined twoleg nest nearby and the barn itself.

Queens curled around their kits protectively, soothing anxious kits and hushing ones whom were still full of energy. Elders and some warriors growled in annoyance, some putting their paws over their ears and shoving their faces into their nests to quell the noise. Apprentices talked in hushed tones, wondering where the clans would go now.

Sparkclaw sat virgil outside the destroyed twoleg nest, staring vacantly out onto the field that lay before him. While his eyes appeared tired, his mind was racing. All he could think about was asking out Squirrelpaw.

His heart fluttered at little at the thought of her and beautiful emerald eyes, her fiery ginger fur, her mischievous smile...

The ShadowClan warrior exhaled through his nose. No matter how much he thought of her, one big problem stood in his way; she was in a different clan. The tabby tom didn't care for the warrior code,some of it made sense and some of it seemed to solely exist to cause drama.

But despite his callous attitude towards the code, he still wanted to avoid trouble. Sparkclaw was stuck in a paradox - he liked Squirrelpaw but he couldn't be in a relationship with her, if he had a relationship with her then it would be more trouble than it's worth.

 _Dumb code with dumb_ _ass rules,_ The ShadowClan warrior thought bitterly in his mind. His tail lashed behind him in aggravation. Why couldn't things just be simple? Why was it taboo to like someone who wasn't in your clan?

Soon the sound of another cat padding by fell on his ears. He turned to face the cat approaching him and was greeted by the sight of a brown tabby she-cat. It was Leafpaw. "You're Sunblaze's girl, right?" he asked.

Leafpaw cocked her head to the side, "what do you mean by 'girl'?" she replied with curiosity.

"Ah, shit. I meant mate," Sparkclaw corrected, "so why are you up so late, eh?" the brown tabby queried.

"I can't sleep," the medicine cat apprentice meowed. "Why are you up so late?" she retorted.

"Me? I didn't sit virgil last night," Sparkclaw explained, "Blackstar was pissed about it, now I'm doing it tonight," he ended with a huff. In truth, he hadn't been paying attention whilst he was basking in the praise of his clan.

When he woke up the next morning with a furious Blackstar in his face, practically foaming at the mouth, and he soon found out the reason for his rage - he hadn't sat his virgil.

So he was given an option; either add an extra moon to caring for the elders and miss out his virgil or he could sit his virgil. And as a cat whom hated taking care of a bunch of hags, he chose to sit his virgil.

A chuckle escaped Leafpaw's lips, "aren't you the troublemaker,". She remembered when Sunblaze had told her about the journey that Sparkclaw was the source of trouble for the group. But now he seemed to have matured. The ShadowClan warrior wasn't nearly as aggressive or as crude her mate made him out to be.

The tabby she-cat's eyes were drawn to the scar on his right shoulder, "how did you get that scar?"she meowed. Leafpaw had a hunch that he got it from their fight with BloodClan - Sunblaze hadn't gone into detail about the fight.

"Got it from a fight with BloodClan," Sparkclaw responded, he unknowingly began feeling the scar tissue with his tail.

"Could you tell me about it?" The she-cat asked keenly, "Sunblaze didn't talk about it too much," she added.

The ShadowClan warrior shrugged, "it lasted like, what? Ten or fifteen minutes?" he meowed. "Anyways, we walked into their alley by mistake and they were going to beat us black n' blue," he explained. The tom continued on, "I wasn't having any of that, so I jumped at the closest guy and the fight starts," he said.

Leafpaw nodded her head, intently listening to each word.

Sparkclaw went on, "me and the leader started scrappin' and she would just not let go of me, and Smokepaw helped me out," he stopped, "you know Smokepaw, right?" he inquired.

The medicine cat apprentice furrowed her brow in concentration, then after a few seconds she shook her head. "I don't think so," Leafpaw replied.

"He's tall, skinny, got grey fur. He's a WindClan apprentice and speaks like this," he mimicked Smokepaw's voice, "ringing any bells?" he asked.

Leafpaw shook her head once more, "sorry, I don't know him," she stated.

"Anyways," Sparkclaw meowed, "he saved my ass," he explained, "knocked their leader out cold and it sent them runnin' with their tails between their legs," the tom stated.

"So _that's_ what happened," a new voice commented. Both cats turned to see Squirrelpaw, her head poking out of the ruined twoleg nest. "I'd never thought Smokepaw would be the one to win that fight for you," she added.

Sparkclaw chuckled at the comment, "probably would have sat there if he wasn't being jumped," he let out a small purr. "So why are you awake?" he inquired.

"Maybe it's because you two are so loud, who knows?" Squirrelpaw replied with a smug smile. The ThunderClan apprentice stepped out from the rickety twoleg nest, sitting between Leafpaw and Sparkclaw.

"What? And you don't sound like you're screeching twenty four seven?" The ShadowClan tom retorted, a playful smirk adorning his lips.

"Still not as loud as you, ya furball," the ginger she-cat teased, smacking his nose with the tip of her tail.

Leafpaw gave a fake yawn, "I'm tired," she lied. The tabby she-cat turned around and headed for the barn, "goodnight," she called over her shoulder.

"night," they both called in response. But Sparkclaw didn't understand the fake yawn. If she wanted to go why did she make an excuse rather than saying it outright? He didn't know, maybe the she-cat didn't want to look rude.

The two cats watched in silence as Leafpaw disappeared into the barn, being swallowed by the darkness the inhabited the now make-shift den for the clans. Both Sparkclaw and Squirrelpaw then sat in an awkward silence.

The ShadowClan warrior felt as his face began to heat up as his stomach tied itself into knots. Squirrelpaw let her eyes wander, trying not to look at the ShadowClan warrior as her heartbeat quickened.

"So..." the tom started, "do you, uh, wanna go hunting?" he asked, looking away from the ThunderClan apprentice. He felt frustration towards himself build up. Why couldn't he look at her? Why was he being so damn coy around the ginger she-cat?

Squirrelpaw replied, "sure."

The two cats both headed out for the large, grassy field surrounding Barley's barn. They both kept silent, each feeling intensely awkward being so close to the other. "Remember the dog?" the ginger she-cat asked.

Sparkclaw chuckled at the memory, "of course I do, how the hell do you forget something like that?" he asked. He let out another small snicker at the memory.

"Yeah, it was hilarious," Squirrelpaw agreed through a fit of giggles.

Another awkward silence feel between the two cats and they looked away from each other, a light blush covering the two's faces. "I think I, uh, heard a mouse there," the tabby tom said suddenly.

The ginger she-cat scented the air, "you're right," she meowed quiety. She dropped down into a hunter's crouch, slowly stalking forwards. Squirrelpaw lay still for a moment then, wriggling her hunches, she pounced.

The ThunderClan apprentice pinned the rodent with her paws, then nipped the base of its neck. She stood up and turned to Sparkclaw, the mouse dangling from her maw.

"Nice catch," The brown tabby praised.

"Um, thanks," responded Squirrelpaw, averting his gaze. "Let's go find some more," she mewed.

The ShadowClan warrior nodded his head, following her as she walked on. Another silence fell between them. Sparkclaw tried to think of something to talk about, something to break the ice. But his mind went blank every time.

"Dav- I mean, Sparkclaw," Squirrelpaw said suddenly.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Do you and Tawnypelt have, uh, something going on?" The ginger she-cat inquired, she didn't face him. She look around, pretending to look for prey.

"What? No." Sparkclaw meowed, "what made you think that?"

"What? Nothing." The ThunderClan apprentice said quickly. "It's just that. . .you two were pretty close when we were looking for Midnight," she stated, kneading the ground with her paw.

"You'd be too if Tawnypelt was the reason you even got in in the first place," the ShadowClan warrior reasoned. "Without her, I dunno where I'd be," he added truthfully.

"How?" Squirrelpaw inquired.

Sparkclaw stopped in his tracks, then faced the ThunderClan she-cat. "Because she convinced Blackstar to let me join," he stated. The tom sighed, "I'd probably be wandering around, no clue what the hell to do with myself," he sat in silence for a second. "Hell, most of ShadowClan fuckin' hates my guts anyways," he sighed.

"No they don't," The ginger she-cat assured him.

"Yeah, they do," Sparkclaw persisted, "only Littlecloud, Blackstar, and Tawnypelt talk to me," he stated. The brown tabby sat on his hunches and he sighed, "kinda my fault, though,"

The ThunderClan apprentice furrowed her brow, "how's that?"

"I'm not a nice cat," The ShadowClan warrior replied, "thought it'd be obvious," he added.

"Shut up," Squirrelpaw meowed fiercely, "you're a great cat - you're brave, you're funny, you're kind; if your clan can't see that then that's their problem," she said. She nuzzled the tom underneath his chin, "don't let anybody tell you otherwise," the ginger cat added softly before pulling away.

The brown tabby felt his heart flutter at the gesture, he smiled softly. "You're too kind," he purred. Sparkclaw let out a yawn, "think it's time I head back," he stated.

"Me too." responded Squirrelpaw tiredly. The two cats walked side by side in silence. Soon, Sparkclaw placed his tail over the ginger she-cat's own tail. Squirrelpaw entwined their tails and pressed against him slightly, letting out a quiet purr.


	33. Chapter 33

The sun was rising on a new day, casting an orange hue over the land. Frost coating the morning grass reflected the light of the sun and created a beautiful and tranquil sight. Birds chirped as they flew by overhead.

The four clans prepared to continue onwards to find a new home. Cats stayed near the barn and run down twoleg nest, not daring to stray further without the say-so from either the leader or the deputy.

Sunblaze groggily exited the barn, yawning. He headed towards a small pile of fresh-kill, made of prey the clans had gathered the night they arrived. He picked out a small mouse, shuddering a little as he held it by its tail.

One thing the golden tom had not yet adjusted to when it came to clan life was eating mice. He could gulp down a black bird, devour a squirrel, even dine on a vole. But he couldn't bring himself to eat the diseased little rodent the clans loved so much.

He immediately began scanning the area for somebody to fork the mouse over to. His blue eyes fell on Cinderpelt, talking with Leafpaw. Sunblaze felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up a little, remembering how she glared at him before he headed out to evacuate ShadowClan.

Was she suspicious of them? _No, it was a fluke. The sun must have been in her eyes when she was watching me go_ , the tom reasoned with himself. He approached the two she-cats.

"Either of you two want a mouse?" Sunblaze inquired, placing the mouse at his paws.

"I do," Leafpaw answered, "thanks, Sunblaze," she purred. The tabby she-cat picked up the mouse, flicking her tail in a sign of thanks.

Cinderpelt gave the warrior a sharp glance before she turned to her apprentice, "Leafpaw, could you give us a minute?" she mewed. It sounded less of a question and more of a demand.

The tabby she-cat tensed briefly, anxiety twisting her stomach in knots. Did the medicine cat know about their relationship? She couldn't know - they had been careful. _Maybe not careful enough,_ Leafpaw winced in her mind.

"Of course, Cinderpelt," she murmured. The she-cat sent one last, worried glance towards her mate before she left.

Sunblaze never looked away from Cinderpelt. He tried to calm himself, telling himself that he and Leafpaw hadn't been found out. But the memory of the grey she-cat glaring at them kept clawing its way to the forefront of his mind.

She knew - or at least suspected that they were in a relationship. Of course, if Cinderpelt was aware that there was a relationship then she would've told Firestar. But the warrior braced himself for whatever message the she-cat would relay to him.

The medicine-cat turned back to Sunblaze. The tom squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze. "Stay away from Leafpaw, do you understand?" the medicine cat hissed.

"What? Why?" The warrior demanded. But he already knew full well what Cinderpelt's reasoning was. Still, he had to play dumb if he wanted this situation to go as smoothly as he could possibly make it. Which would make the situation slightly smoother than sandpaper.

"You're getting too friendly with her," Cinderpelt stated, leering at him. Her tail lashed behind her as Sunblaze returned her glare, "she doesn't need you to distract her from her duties. If I see you anywhere near her I'll be telling Firestar," she threatened. The she-cat whipped around, hobbling off.

"Bitch." The ThunderClan warrior muttered under his breath. Who did Cinderpelt think she was? Leafpaw's mother? His mate could do whatever she damn well pleased and she didn't need her mentor breathing down her neck.

Frustration began building up within the tom. Why was such a dumb rule suck as medicine cats being forbidden to have mates allowed to exist? Just thinking about it made his claws sink into the dirt.

"Yo, you okay there?" Sparkclaw asked. He had just walked out of the barn, nearly falling asleep, to find Sunblaze seething to himself.

"Nothing. Everything's just fucking brilliant," the ThunderClan warrior answered sarcastically.

The ShadowClan warrior yawned in response, "someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he commented.

Sunblaze exhaled through his nose, "yeah, I guess you could say that," he grumbled. Unfortunately, he couldn't vent his anger to anyone; not right now at least. It would draw attention to him. It pained the tom, but he was just going to have to take this one. "So, you sat virgil last night?" The warrior said suddenly.

"Yeah, and I'm fuckin' dead after that," The brown tabby responded, yawning afterwards. He saw Squirrelpaw as she walked by, she caught his gaze and they both quickly looked away.

The ThunderClan cat nudged his friend, "you fancy her, don't you?" he teased.

He expected his friend's fur to stand on end as he angrily told him to shut his mouth then threaten him with physical violence - maybe even threat to light him up like a Christmas tree.

But instead, Sparkclaw looked flustered. He gave an awkward cough as he turned away from Sunblaze, "yeah. . .I guess I do," he mumbled.

The ThunderClan warrior was taken aback, "well, I was joking. But you really like her?" he inquired. The tom never payed any attention to how the brown tabby interacted with Squirrelpaw. After the way he responded to Smokepaw's feelings for Feathertail it seemed he was too proud to even consider taking anybody as a mate.

"Yeah, like last night. . .we, uh-" The ShadowClan warrior mewed.

"You two did what?!" Sunblaze gasped, his voice barely above a whisper, "mate, if she's preg-"

"Do you wanna shut up?!" Sparkclaw snapped, his face a deep scarlet, "we never done anything close to that. Keep your mouth shut or I'm gonna light you up like it's the fourth of fuckin' July," he threatened, his pelt bristling.

"Oh, sorry," was all the ThunderClan warrior could respond with. Truthfully, he thought that the tom was going somewhere else with that, he didn't seem like the romantic type. But maybe he was just thinking too little of him.

"Yeah, sure you are. Don't jump to conclusions next time, Evan," Sparkclaw grumbled.

Sunblaze shrugged, "if you didn't do 'that'. . .then what did you do?" he inquired.

The brown tabby paused briefly, pondering on how he could explain it. _He'll probably know what I'm talkin' about,_ he thought to himself. "We, like, held hands but for cats," he stated.

"Um, what?"

"We held hands, but for cats," the ShadowClan warrior repeated.

The golden tom cocked an eyebrow, "what the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sparkclaw groaned in frustration, "god dammit, the thing with the tails! When you wrap them around each other. What's so fucking hard to understand?" he fumed.

"Maybe it's because you're shit at explaining things," Sunblaze offered.

"Whatever," the ShadowClan warrior snorted.

"So, are you two an item now or what?" the ThunderClan cat inquired. A part of him hoped they were - Sparkclaw deserved some happiness after being ripped away from his family and home; they all did.

But at the same time, it was in the tom's best interests for them not to be a couple. They would both have to find somewhere private to meet, they'd need to ignore each other or find someone to be their 'mate' if they wanted to throw their clans off. They couldn't be a normal couple who did normal couple things.

Nobody should be forced to endure that. To be forever concerned about being too friendly towards their forbidden mate. To have cats who suspected something breathing down their necks and sticking their noses into matters that didn't concern them. Nobody should deserve to endure what Sunblaze and Leafpaw were likely going to endure.

Sparkclaw shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno," he replied. Before he could add to his statement, the four leaders yowled for the clans to gather underneath the Sunning Rocks.

Crowpaw made his way over to his two friends, "looks like we're ready to get moving," he commented, a solemn tone in his voice.

"I guess it is," Sunblaze mewed in agreement, "I'm actually kind of excited to see what's next for us, honestly," he admitted. It was a new start for everyone. Nobody knew what their new home would be like; they could only anticipate.

"You're overly optimistic," The WindClan apprentice stated with a blunt tone.

"You don't say," Sparkclaw agreed.

The gold tom snorted, "you two are a pair of arseholes," he huffed.

Suddenly, the cats around them began to move en masse. The three cats glanced at one another, "I guess we weren't listening." Crowpaw mewed. The four clans moved as one, making their way towards Highstones.

They reached Highstones by sunset and it was decided that the clans would rest for the night. Cats began scavenging for moss and other comfortable materials to make nests out of along with hunting for prey.

The leaders and medicine cats gathered outside the entrance of an old mine, "us and medicine cats will go to the moonstone to receive guidance from StarClan," Firestar called out. The cats then entered Mothermouth.

Sunblaze rested, looking up at the stars. Despite their current situation, gazing up at the stars made him feel peaceful. Being raised in London, living in an apartment with his parents, he never really got a chance to look up at them.

But out here, possibly miles away from the closest city, he had his chance. The tom wasn't deeply religious or believed in anything occult, but the stars shining on the clans seemed divine in nature.

But maybe that was because the religion of the clans was centred around stars and the belief that they were the spirits of warriors who had passed on rather than massive spheres made of hydrogen gas millions of lightyears away from earth.

"What're you looking at?" Crowpaw inquired as he approached the ThunderClan warrior. He followed his friend's gaze, "the stars, eh?" he commented.

"Yeah," Sunblaze replied, tearing his eyes away from the night sky and looking towards the black tom, "before I came here, I lived in a massive twoleg place," he explained, "I never really got a chance to look up at them,"

"I guess they're kinda nice," the WindClan apprentice admitted. He looked around, "where's David?" he asked.

"He's away to sleep," the gold tom stated.

"He's probably shattered after his virgil last night," Crowpaw reasoned. His ears suddenly swivelled, pin-pointing a sound of footsteps approaching, "looks like we have company,".

The two cats looked over, spotting Coldpaw and Hawkfrost approaching them. Sunblaze immediately felt on edge at the sight of the dark brown tabby. There was something about him that wasn't right, like he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. He was also keen on becoming his and David's friend - too keen.

Crowpaw seemed uncomfortable with his presence too, evidenced by the way he shifted as the two RiverClan cats approached.

"Hello," Coldpaw greeted, giving a friendly flick of his tail.

"Greetings, Sunblaze," Hawkfrorst mewed, "how have you been?" he inquired.

"I've. . .been good," the ThunderClan cat responded. He turned his attention away from the dark tabby and towards Coldpaw, "you two came over for a chat, eh?" he asked.

"Of course," the tom responded, sitting down, "how do you think Lautrec and Feathertail has been getting on without us?" he inquired.

Deep down, Coldpaw was deeply worried about the WindClan apprentice. He had been left alone and injured with their murderer. As far as he knew, Smokepaw could be dead. But he refused to entertain the possibility of it - the guilt would crush him.

"Good, I'd guess," the ThunderClan cat responded. He felt awkward with Hawkfrost around.

"Are you talking about the WindClan apprentice?" The dark brown tabby questioned.

"Yeah, and what does it have to do with you?" Crowpaw snorted.

Hawkfrost gave the tom a cold glare in response. The WindClan apprentice returned his leer, a growl rising from his throat. Both Sunblaze and Coldpaw looked towards each other, anxious a fight was going to break out.

Hawkfrost scoffed, "I'll talk with you later, Coldpaw," he stated, getting up. He turned to the ThunderClan warrior before he left, "goodbye, Sunblaze,"

Sunblaze shivered as he watched the dark tabby walk off. Something was wrong with Hawkfrost - very wrong. His presence, his mannerisms, everything about him seemed menacing.

"Who does he think he is?" Crowpaw seethed.

"Maybe you should give him a chance," Coldpaw offered.

"I'll do that when I'm in StarClan," the WindClan apprentice retorted, "he's such a bloody creep," the tom added. He yawned, "I'll see you two tomorrow. Can't be bothered with being shattered in the morning," he said, getting up to find a nest.

"Night," the ThunderClan and RiverClan cats responded.

The two toms sat in silence for a brief period of time, both allowing their minds to wander. They thought of where the clans would end up and how their lives would change. But it would never be as drastic as their lives changing, fortunately.

"I saw Stormfur giving you the cold shoulder earlier," Sunblaze said suddenly, "what's that all about?" he inquired.

The grey tom shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat, "well, I visited Princess the night before we left," he explained, "and, well, we..."

The gears in the ThunderClan cat's head began turning, "you reeked of her and he noticed," he finished. He didn't know how much detail the RiverClan warrior would have went into, but he didn't want to know.

Coldpaw nodded, "he lectured me, and lucky for me he's not reporting it to Leopardstar, he said now's not the time," he stated, a tone of relief in his voice.

"Let's hope for your sake that he never tells her anything," Sunblaze mewed, yawning, "I think I'm ready to sleep. Night, Ivan." he said. The tom got up, padding away to find a nest.

He began thinking about where the clans were headed and the thought filled him with optimism. He felt like he was embarking on the journey for a second time. But this time around, it was the start of a new chapter for every cat in the clans.


	34. Chapter 34

"Ugh, I can feel my fuckin' face _or_ my feet!" Sparkclaw whined, trudging through the thick snow.

"What do you mean? There's hardly a draft," Coldpaw responded, unaffected by the frigid winds. Sunblaze nodded in agreement as padded beside the two cats, he moved aside as a ThunderClan cats asked to squeeze by.

"How the fu. . .you know what? You're Russian. I ain't fuckin' s-surprised," the ShadowClan warrior replied, shuddering.

The clans had began ascending the mountains a few hours ago - Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, Stormfur, Crowpaw, and Squirrelpaw opting to lead the four clans. As they climbed higher, getting further away from their old homes, they soon found themselves at the mercy of the elements. As the temperature dipped so did the chances of every cat's survival.

It was apparent the one who were seemingly built for the merciless climate of the mountains were Coldpaw and Sunblaze. Every other cat was shaking like a leaf when the wind blew by.

Leafpaw pressed against Sunblaze for heat, purring quietly. It was risky to do so and she knew she shouldn't, especially after what her mate had told her about Cinderpelt. But she was freezing cold and the ThunderClan warrior was surprisingly warm. The she-cat looked around, seeing cats from all four clan huddled up together for warmth. It wasn't suspicious if she huddled up to him for the same reason as those cats.

"H-how much longer are we going to be up here for?" The medicine cat apprentice inquired, looking up at her mate.

"I'm not sure," Sunblaze replied. He wanted to give Leafpaw some better reassurance but he knew that the words would ring hollow to both him and her. He could've mentioned that the Tribe would likely take them in, even if it was only for a day.

But in truth, the ThunderClan warrior didn't know exactly how to get there. After all, they had fallen off a waterfall then lead by Tribe cats to their cave. Nobody knew the way. Because of their lack of direction - someone could lose their life to hypothermia. ShadowClan's Smokepaw was already dead and he didn't know how many more would follow.

A heavy weight felt like it heaved itself onto Sunblaze's shoulders. If anyone else were to die he'd feel solely responsible for their demise like he did for the ShadowClan apprentice. He was supposed to be leading them all, not sitting in the middle of the crowd and hoping they were going the right way.

The gold tom looked towards Sparkclaw. His hardened expression betrayed how he really felt. The look in his blue orbs; he was deeply disturbed by Smokepaw's death. Like Sunblaze, he felt responsible for his death to some degree.

Though he didn't know why. From what he had heard, the ShadowClan warrior borderline bullied the other ShadowClan apprentices - it wasn't hard to believe. After all, Sparkclaw (or Sparkpaw at the time) was arguing with everyone to begin with on the journey and even came to blows with Brambleclaw.

But now, whether it was him maturing or the journey forcing him to grow up, he had mellowed out. Sunblaze knew he was seeing the real Sparkclaw now. His hostility towards everyone had been thrown out the window. And the brown tabby had shown he was as emotionally vulnerable as the rest of them.

He sighed to himself, hearing Cinderpelt ahead of them call on Leafpaw. She looked up at her mate with sad amber eyes, her ears pressed against her head. The tom frowned as she left. Cinderpelt was becoming a thorn in their sides.

"How do you think Lautrec's been without us?" Coldpaw inquired.

Sparkclaw's expression suddenly contorted, "...fine, I'd hope," he answered. His voice wavered a little as he spoke. His tough guy act was faltering.

Sunblaze raised an eyebrow. What was up with the ShadowClan cat? "Why? Are you worried about his cracked ribs? He's probably fine by now," he mewed.

The brown tabby and grey cat shared a glance, "we didn't..." the American meowed. The RiverClan cat shook his head to confirm Sparkclaw's suspicions. He sighed, then signaled Sunblaze to follow him. They fell behind to the end of the herd of migrating cats soon thereafter.

"What didn't you tell me?" The ThunderClan cat questioned.

Coldpaw sighed, "Evan, he's here." he stated with a grave tone. His voice was low and hushed - it was a private matter that was for their ears only. Though the three cats remained unaware of a RiverClan cat eavesdropping on their conversation.

Hawkfrost. The dark brown tabby had seen them fall back to the end of the mass of cats, thinking it was suspicious that they had just fallen behind just to talk - he followed behind, careful not to get too close. Whatever was going to be said could be potentially beneficial to Tigerstar.

"...W-who's here?" The gold tom inquired. Yet he had a feeling that he already knew who they meant. The tom had suspected that their murderer was part of the Tribe the moment Mist mentioned they had a cat with an accent like Sparkclaw's. Still - he asked because he wanted to be proven wrong. That it wasn't who he thought it was that was here.

"The fuckin' asshole who murdered us, that's who," The ShadowClan warrior responded, "he's part of the Tribe up here and's called Shade Underneath The Tree," he informed.

Sunblaze gave a short, slow nod. "I had feeling he was here..." he admitted, "but why wait 'til now to tell me and why the hell did we just leave Lautrec - _injured_ and by himself - there?" he demanded.

"We would've told you sooner if Star hadn't passed away, we didn't want to put too much on your conscious at once," Coldpaw replied sincerely.

"Yeah, and Lautrec couldn't even walk," Sparkclaw chimed in, "plus, Shade would be brain-dead to try anything when he's surrounded twenty-four-seven," the tabby reassured.

The ThunderClan once again nodded his head. That made sense, but he would have preferred for them to have let him know sooner. "How'd you find out he was here?" He inquired.

The ShadowClan warrior wrinkled his nose in response, remembering his encounter with the Tribe cat. "Sonuva bitch tried to kill me," he spat. His claws slid out of his paws, sinking into the snow beneath.

Hawkfrost frowned upon hearing those words. Was Tigerstar aware of Shade's attempt on the other ex-twoleg's life? Granted, losing one of them wasn't such a big issue when they had five of them.

The only reason Tigerstar even decided to acquire more twolegs outside of Shade was because, deep down, the ex-ShadowClan leader feared that StarClan would find a stronger, more experienced, twoleg than his beloved Tribe cat.

Frankly, those four were unnecessary. From what his father had told him, the black cat was bred for war. The only reason the clans weren't bowing down to Tigerstar was because Shade had been stuck with the Tribe of Rushing Water. The thought alone made Hawkfrost shudder.

That. . . _thing_ was less than a twoleg or a cat.

The RiverClan warrior watched as the three cats moved back to their original place in the group of migrating cats. As he watched them leave he pondered briefly if he should tell his father about what he had heard.

Yet he decided against it. While he greatly despised Shade with every fibre of his being, odds are that Tigerstar was already aware of the homicide attempt. But whether the ex-ShadowClan leader punished him for doing so was another question entirely.

The four clans moved onwards, gritting their teeth whenever the cold wind blew. Though few cats were talking, they all thought the same thing - how long would they be up here for?

Cats soon began complaining about hunger. Kits whined to their mothers, warriors and apprentices grumbled to themselves, and elders nagged amongst themselves and to anyone unfortunate enough to be close enough.

In response, Brambleclaw was ordered to teach the clan cats how to hunt in the mountains. Patrols were sent out to hunt for eagles. Each patrol contained a mix of all four clans within them. Sparkclaw and Squirrelpaw were placed in the same patrol which consisted of six other cats.

Their patrol split up into hunting partners. The ShadowClan warrior and the ThunderClan apprentice went together. An intense feeling of awkwardness coursed through the ginger she-cat.

She tried to make small talk as they searched for prey, but all she got was a few curt responses from the brown tabby. She frowned to herself, something wasn't right with him. _It must have something to do with Smokepaw,_ Squirrelpaw concluded.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry about Smokepaw," the she-cat reassured him, placing her tail-tip on his shoulder. The ThunderClan apprentice wasn't sure how close the two cats were but it was obvious that his death had disturbed Sparkclaw greatly.

The tom froze up in response, beginning to shiver though it wasn't from the low temperatures. He swallowed the lump in his throat, "d. . .don't say his name, please," he mewed quietly.

Squirrelpaw stood in silence for a second, "do you feel guilty about it?" she inquired. She watched as the tom opened his mouth to answer after what felt like an eternity of silence, "you do, don't you?" she stated.

"I. . .I could've done something," Sparkclaw finally answered.

"Like what?" Challenged the ThunderClan apprentice. Perhaps it wasn't the best way to tell someone that a situation was out of their control, but it was the only way she could tell him. "There's was nothing you could do, and nothing's your fault," the ginger she-cat mewed softly, pressing herself against him, "Smokepaw's in a better place now," she reassured him.

"I know I could've done something," The ShadowClan warrior repeated weakly.

"It's not your fault," Squirrelpaw reassured gently. She felt as Sparkclaw nodded weakly and reluctantly in agreement. They both sat in a brief silence before pulling away. "Now, let's go hunt for some eagles," she mewed, beckoning him to follow her. He did.

The hunting patrols returned one by one over the course of the next hour. Some were successful, others were not. Each patrol did a head count once they returned, making sure that they hadn't lost a cat. One patrol was missing two cats - Sparkclaw and Squirrelpaw.

"Did those two get lost or something?" Crowpaw mewed with a gruff tone, "I have no clue how Sparkclaw can stand her, by the way, she's so annoying," he complained to Coldpaw.

The RiverClan apprentice shrugged in response. The ginger she-cat could be a handful at times. But he did feel concern for their well being. Up in the mountains, all it took was a fall or an injury to seal their fate.

The pair could handle themselves, sure, but that didn't mean much in this kind of environment where you were at its mercy from the second you stepped foot in it.

"I hope they aren't hurt," Leafpaw, whom had managed to get away from Cinderpelt's watchful eyes, said in concern. She pressed against her mate for comfort, looking up at him for reassurance that her sister was safe.

"They'll be fine; they're both hardy buggers," the golden tom reassured. He had to stop himself from showing any affection to the tabby she-cat. He hated the secrecy, but it was either that or a hefty punishment for the both of them.

Cinderpelt called for she-cat once again. Both Sunblaze and Leafpaw froze at the sound of her voice. The medicine cat apprentice sighed, "sorry, Sunblaze," she mumbled.

He growled and turned his gaze to the medicine cat. Her blue eyes bore a hole through his pelt, piercing his soul. The tom returned her glare. Why couldn't she just leave them alone? Nothing they did had anything to do with _her_.

"Is that them over there?" Coldpaw inquired, peering off into the distance.

Crowpaw followed the older cat's gaze, spotting the two cats in question alongside three other cats - cats who weren't part of any clan. "But who's that with them? Got any clue, old timer?" the WindClan apprentice responded.

"Shut up, I'm not old, and I don't know," the RiverClan apprentice snorted, "maybe they're from the Tribe," he reasoned. They watched as the five cats approached the clans.

The cats approached. Once they were close enough, Blackstar, Tallstar, Leopardstar, and Firestar closed the distance between them. "Sparkclaw, care to explain why you brought rouges here?!" The ShadowClan leader demanded.

"I-"

One of the mysterious cats, a hulking brown tabby, interrupted him, "rouges? We're not rouges; we're cats from the Tribe of Rushing Water," he explained, "my name is Talon of Swooping Eagle," Talon introduced.

"That's nice, but what do you want?" Blackstar responded. He waved his tail as the ThunderClan leader opened his mouth to speak, silencing him, "if it's food you're after then you can get lost - we don't have any," he growled.

"Blackstar..." Firestar warned, "Brambleclaw has told me about the Tribe, there's nothing to worry about," he mewed.

Talon flick his ear in response to the ginger cat's words, "thank you," he replied, "Sparkclaw and Squirrelpaw found us out hunting, they told us about your situation and we're here to bring you back to the Tribe," he explained.

Blackstar gave his former apprentice a dirty look. "What? You _want_ to freeze your ass off?" Sparkclaw inquired. The white tom just growled in response.

"I have a question to ask," Tallstar piped up.

"Yes?" the Tribe cat responded.

"I believe an apprentice of my clan, Smokepaw, is with your Tribe - is that correct?" The WindClan leader questioned.

"And a cat named Feathertail, too," The RiverClan leader added.

"Both cats are resting at our camp, yes," Talon replied, "they've recovered from their injuries too," he added.

"Well, shall we get going?" The ThunderClan leader asked the other cats. They nodded in response. Satisfied, he turned to the brown tabby before him, "show us the way," the tom mewed.

Once the four clans reached the Tribe's cave, Stoneteller approached the four clan leaders and medicine cats, informing them they can stay for the night. With that, the clan cats began to inhabit unoccupied nests and make their own as Stormfur immediately rushed over to a brown she-cat, nuzzling her in an embrace.

"Wasn't Stormfur giving you the cold shoulder for doing the same thing?" Sparkclaw inquired, eyeing the two, "fuckin' hypocrite," he snorted.

"Well, I _did_ lie to him, so..." Coldpaw responded.

"You're actually defending the guy who told you off? Wow," Sunblaze commented.

"But I was in the wrong, it's not about Princess," the grey tom defended, "I lied to him and that's why he was upset," he explained.

"So why'd you tell me he was pissed off about you seeing your bird?" The ThunderClan warrior asked.

Coldpaw froze, "I didn't know at the time what it was about so I assumed that's why he was angry," he mewed, flustered.

"...I haven't noticed this until now but you two are actually starting to get a teeny bit of an English accent," The golden tom commented.

"What? Really?" The ShadowClan warrior said with surprise, "I thought it took years for that to happen,"

"You're taking so long to come see me, so I had to come to you," A new voice spoke. The three of them turned to see Smokepaw, "I can't believe you three," he grumbled.

"Lautrec!" Sunblaze cried. He moved in for an embrace, one shared by two friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

"I don't think so, Rosbif," Smokepaw responded, taking a step back.

"Least he's still the same asshole as before," Sparkclaw noted.

"Good to see you're still as slow as ever," the WindClan apprentice said bluntly.

The brown tom responded by shrugging, "you're just provin' my point, Frenchie,"

"How are your ribs foing?" Coldpaw inquired with a sincere tone.

"Fine," the lighter grey tom replied, "and I guess it's sort of nice to see you three again," he added.

Sunblaze looked around, making sure no cats from either WindClan or RiverClan were within earshot, "hey, did you get with Feathertail?" he inquired eagerly.

"No." Smokepaw replied simply.

"Oh. Sorry to ask," The ThunderClan warrior mumbled. He noticed that the grey tom wasn't as upset as he thought he would be. Looks like he got over rather than mope about it and feel sorry for himself.

"...did 'he' try anything?" Sparkclaw demanded suddenly.

With that simple question the whole atmosphere of they're conversation shifted. They remained in silence, each experiencing different emotions at the thought of 'him'; Sparkclaw - rage; Smokepaw - disgust; Sunblaze - fear; Coldpaw - a cold anger.

"Yes," The WindClan apprentice responded after a brief silence, "he attacked me to test me or something like that," he huffed.

"Who does that sonuva bitch think he is? Toying with us," the brown tabby spat.

Though they remained unaware, Shade was watching them from afar. His green eyes analysed them, like a predator stalking its prey. _And then there was four once again,_ he mused to himself dryly.

The black cat wondered if Tigerstar had approached them yet. It didn't seem likely, but perhaps it would be soon. The last time the ex-ShadowClan leader let something else attempt to make them stronger was Midnight. That turned out to be a letdown - Tigerstar wasn't happy about that.

He slunk back, he hadn't tested the larger grey tom or the smallest of the group; the golden tom. But their turn would come soon enough.

Soon enough, two days had passed since the clans had rested at the Tribe (because the day after they arrived they were forced to stay because of snow) and both Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw had been presented as warriors, now going by Squirrelflight and Crowclaw respectively. Stormfur had decided to live with the Tribe and Brook Where Small Fish Swin, his new mate.

After on the morning of the second day, the clans left the comfort of the Tribe's cave and trekked onwards with all of the remaining cats who had went on the journey leading them forward. The leading cats clambered over a valley and they saw it.

A foresty area, surrounded by mountains. In the centre was a lake. Two sections were full of trees, one home to tall pine trees and the other oak trees. One area was full of rolling hills. Another was a flat land with a river flowing through it. It was perfect to accommodate the clans.

It was their new home.

* * *

 **I'm sorry this chapter took so long to come out, I don't have an excuse that's worthwhile other than I just didn't want to write it and I apologise for any blemishes in this chapter.**

 **You also may be wondering why Crowpaw's warrior name isn't Crow _feather,_ it's because (according to the wiki) that one of the Erins think that Crowpaw would've been called Crowclaw if he hadn't requested 'feather' to honour Feathertail. I think it's pretty fitting so I chose that to be his warrior name. **

**Also, now that we're in the Lake territories now you better buckle up because it's going to get wild from here on out :^)**


	35. Chapter 35

"So what are we out here for again, love?" Sunblaze inquired, a sweet tone in his voice

"We're going to check what kind of herbs this place has, Sunny," Leafpool responded.

It had been two days since the Clans had discovered their new homes. Two full days since Leafpaw had become a full medicine cat. Two days since the ThunderClan warrior had seen his three friends.

And the tom had to say - yesterday and the day before were a nightmare! Non-stop working; from putting borders in place to setting up the clan camp. Now, here he was helping his adorable mate look for herbs for herself and Cinderpelt.

He let out a small 'mrow' of laughter at the thought of Sparkclaw and Smokepaw being forced to form dens or set borders in place. He could almost hear the whining of the WindClan appreciate or the ShadowClan warrior's vulgar yelling of protest.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why am I helping you? You'd think Cinderpelt would be fighting tooth and claw to keep me away from you," he mused.

"Well, she couldn't really do much since you volunteered to help," the tabby she-cat smiled.

"Your sister nearly beat me to it," Sunblaze replied. The tom pressed against his mate, nuzzling her, "luckyily I managed to offer first," he purred.

"Sunny, please don't we might-" Leafpool warned.

"-Get caught?" The ThunderClan warrior finished for her, "no we won't," he reassured, "you know, it's really cute when you get so worked up," he added, a teasing smile on his face.

"Oh, stop it," she mewed playfully, pressing her ears flat against her head in a flustered manner, "you're too sweet,"

"Don't pretend you don't love it," Sunblaze grinned.

The medicine cat sighed, nuzzling underneath her mate's chin, "I do," she admitted. After a brief embrace, the tabby she-cat pulled away. "C'mon, we need to focus," she muttered.

The two cats walked in silence, carefully assessing the territory. Analysing it. Though something was bothering the golden cat. Why was Leafpool always so hesitant when it came to showing him affection? Perhaps she just wasn't big on it? Or was he being clingy? Or was she afraid of something?

If it was her fellow medicine cat and former mentor he wasn't surprised. Cinderpelt was on to them, leering at Sunblaze any time he was near Leafpool. Hell, she hardly ever let her apprentice get away from her side.

Should Leafpool show a little _too_ much affection to him for the grey she-cat's liking then only God knows what would happen to them and their relationship. It made sense to him now - she was afraid that Cinderpelt was watching them any time they were alone.

"Leafpool, love," Sunblaze suddenly mewed, "are you afraid of Cinderpelt?" he inquired, looking her in the eye.

"Wh...what do you mean by that?" The she-cat asked back.

The tom frowned, "you know what I mean; you're scared of her finding out," he insisted. The warrior could she by the way she suddenly froze that he had hit the nail on the head.

Leafpool nodded, "I am, I don't want to be, but..." she sighed. She sounded defeated, "I love you, but if Cinderpelt found out..." she shook her head, "we can't act suspicious,"

Sunblaze sighed, "look Leafpool, you can't live in fear of her forever," he meowed, "we're not going to last for long if you're scared of her,". Though they hadn't been mates for long, they both knew that her fear would drive them apart. He gave his mate a reassuring lick, "don't let her control what you do, love,"

The medicine cat nodded, "you're right," she responded. Without warning, she suddenly pressed her nose into the ThunderClan warrior's, a bright smile on her face as she did. The tabby she-cat pulled away, entwining her tail as she pressed herself against him. "Let's go, Sunny," she purred.

He was taken aback. Leafpool wasn't forward by any means, but he'd never expect her to do what she just did. But his surprise soon was replaced by a warm feeling, the corners of his lips tugging upwards to form a smile. He followed her lead.

"What kind of herbs are we looking for, by the way?" Sunblaze inquired, eyeing a dandelion like it held the secrets of the universe. _'Maybe these are used for something? I dunno'_ he mused.

The tom didn't know what compelled him to do what he did next, maybe he would never know and spend the rest of his life pondering why, but he stuffed the dandelion in his maw without a second thought. He'd seen the medicine cats chew plants before, maybe he would find out what it does.

"We're looking for-" Leafpool responded, stopping as she saw her mate with a dandelion in his mouth. The tabby she-cat burst into hysterics at the sight.

"What?" The ThunderClan warrior asked defensively, his voice muffled by the chewed-up flower in his mouth.

"I-it's just-" the medicine cat paused to laugh, "I wasn't expecting that," she finally answered as she calmed down. "But to answer your question, we're just seeing what kind of herbs there are here and where they grow," explained the tabby.

"But what do dandelions do though?" He inquired, his mouth still full of said plant.

"It's for bee stings," Leafpool answered, "if you chew the leaves they relieve pain, I don't know what chewing the whole plant does though," she giggled.

"Hope it doesn't make me keel over and die," Sunblaze replied jokingly.

The pair continued their search for herbs. The tabby she-cat mentally noted whatever herb she saw; coltsfoot, bindweed, celandine... while the gold tom found something that looked like a herb and asked his mate if he was right - most of the time he was wrong.

Suddenly, a sound fell on Sunblaze's ears. He froze in place, trying to pinpoint where the sound was emanating from. It sounded like light snoring and it seemed to be coming from a nearby tree. At least it appeared to be coming from the tree.

"What's wrong?" Leafpool asked with concern.

"Quiet," The ThunderClan warrior replied, his voice low. "I think there's something there, by that tree," he mewed, pointing at it with his tail. Cautiously, he approached the tree that was the origin of the sound.

He could here the sound louder now. It was definitely the sound of a cat snoring. The tom furrowed his brow, had ThunderClan claimed the home of some cat as their territory? Maybe. Maybe not.

But it was time to find out.

The warrior crept around the side of the tree, Leafpool watching him in silence. A burrow of sorts lead underneath the tree. It wasn't spacious and tree roots hung from the ceiling. The burrow didn't seem like the most luxurious of homes.

Sunblaze peered inside, seeing a dirt-covered brown tabby cat curled up in a ball. Because they had their back to him, he didn't recognise them until he saw a familiar scar on their shoulder.

"...Sparkclaw?" The ThunderClan warrior mewed, surprise evident in his voice.

The ShadowClan cat jumped at the sound of his voice, hissing as he smacked his head against the burrow's roof, "ow! Shit!" growled the tom. He swivelled his head around to see his friend, "uh...hey,"

"What the bloody hell are you on our territory for?" The gold tom inquired, watching as his friend dragged himself from out the hole and shake some of the dirt from his pelt.

Sparkclaw seemed to pause for a second, then began shaking in rage. He hissed, "that piece of shit followed us here and joined _my_ clan!"

The whole world stood still for what felt like an eternity for Sunblaze. Perhaps it was naïve of him to believe, but he thought that Shade would have stayed with the Tribe and he only went after them because they were in the same area. Looks like he was just here to finish what he started.

The anxious feeling of his stomach tying itself in knots became all too real. In that moment a deep, primal fear for his life planted itself inside him. He couldn't beat Shade before he came here and he had _much_ better control on his body and, by extent, his powers. What hope did he have now?

"...you're joking..." the ThunderClan warrior finally answered. His voice sounded like he was out of breath and on the verge of tears. He didn't want to believe what he was hearing. He wanted to believe he misheard or that his friend was pulling his leg. If he was, then he put too much effort in.

"Sunny, what's wrong?" Leafpool inquired, her amber eyes full of concern.

The warrior was brought back to reality, "it's...nothing, love. I'm fine," he responded. His answer couldn't be further from the truth. He turned to Sparkclaw, "uh, I guess you should come to ThunderClan camp, then," he mumbled.

"Show me the way then, buddy," the tom mewed.

"I guess you're not a ShadowClan cat anymore either," Sunblaze whispered, only loud enough for Sparkclaw to hear.

"Damn right. I ain't stayin' in the same place as that bastard!" The ex-ShadowClan cat spat. "Don't think they'd want be back after the meltdown I had," he added casually.

The warrior and medicine cat lead him to ThunderClan camp. Once they arrived, cats soon took notice of the ShadowClan warrior in their midst. It felt oddly nostalgic to the brown tabby tom, it was like when he first joined ShadowClan.

Sunblaze scanned the camp, looking for Firestar. In truth, he didn't know what to do or how to help Sparkclaw. He felt lost and he hated it. But Firestar would know what to do - he always did.

The tom sighted the cat he was looking for, talking with his mate, and didn't waste a millisecond before rushing over, his friend hot on his heals and his mate walking briskly behind them. "Um...Firestar, sir," he mewed. The warrior didn't know what to say next, or how to phrase it in such a way that it didn't seem like Sparkclaw had just deserted his clan for no good reason.

"Sunblaze? What's the matter?" The ThunderClan leader inquired as his mate walked off to talk with some other warriors. He soon noticed Sparkclaw and frowned to himself, "does ShadowClan need our help?"

"Um..." The ThunderClan warrior sputtered. He was struggling to form a sentence that wouldn't end in disaster. Luckily, the ex-ShadowClan warrior spoke in his stead.

"Nah, they're good. But I need help," Sparkclaw responded.

"What's the problem?" Firestar asked. He felt confused as to why a ShadowClan cat came to him, a leader of another clan, about a problem. Whatever it was, it must have been serious.

The brown tabby inhaled deeply, "can I join your clan or something?" he inquired. He knew he wouldn't go back to ShadowClan, not after causing a scene and certainly not with Shade there. He would rather die.

The ginger tom raised his eyebrows, "excuse me?"

"I said I wanna join. I left ShadowClan and now I wanna join you guys," repeated Sparkclaw.

"Were you exiled?"

"In a way, yeah,"

"What were you exiled for?"

"Can't say,"

"Can't or won't?"

"Both."

Firestar sat in silence for a brief second, mauling over the self-exiled cat's proposal. It wasn't the first time as leader he didn't know how to act in a situation, to feel as if his body wanted to stand frozen or that he didn't know what to say. Part of him wanted to send him away - he was being too vague for his liking. It was suspicious.

Looking into the eyes of the tom before him, he could see that there was no way that he would be going back to ShadowClan. The ThunderClan leader could tell him no, tell him to move - but the self-exiled cat would plant his paws in the earth, look him in the eyes, and say 'no, you move.'

The brown tabby held the spirit of a warrior. There was no doubt about that.

"I'll announce your arrival soon." the leader responded, and with that he turned away, padding off.

Sunblaze placed the tip of his tail on his friend's shoulder, "you're one of us now," he smiled. While Firestar hadn't confirmed it, it was most likely to be the outcome.

"Thanks, man," Sparkclaw replied.

"Congratulations," Leafpool mewed. She turned to her mate, "I need to go back to the medicine den, see you later handsome," the brown tabby purred.

"Okay, bye," The ThunderClan warrior responded as she headed for the medicine den.

"I didn't think your girl was flirty - I thought she was dorky n' shy," The ex-ShadowClan cat commented.

"...Should I be offended?" The tom inquired.

"I dunno, you tell me man," Sparkclaw replied with a smile.

Their converstation was interrupted by the yowling of Firestar, calling all cats old enough to catch prey to gather underneath a large, jutting rock. The gathered cats murmured amongst themselves, wondering what they could have been called upon for. Most, if not all, knew it must have something concerning the ShadowClan cat in their camp. Their talking died out as their leader began to speak.

"Cats of ThunderClan, the ShadowClan warrior - Sparkclaw - approached me and asked to become a member of ThunderClan-," Firestar stated. The clan once again began to chatter amongst themselves.

Sunblaze actually felt a tad jealous of Sparkclaw. When he joined, ThunderClan was in an uproar over the fact an outsider was joining their ranks. All the tabby tom was getting was some whispers and a few snarky comments, most of which pertained to him being 'a piece of crowfood who probably got exiled'.

"-and I have decided to accept him into our ranks," the ginger tom announced.

At first, there was a shocked gasp from the cats of ThunderClan, followed by yowls of outrage.

"He was probably exiled by his clan! Why are we taking him in?!"

"Remember how Blackstar yelled at him every five minutes? Nobody wants that here!"

"He was exiled! He can go fall off a cliff for all I care!"

That was the kind of reception that Sparkclaw was expecting - when he first joined ShadowClan he learned the clans didn't like outsiders _or_ cats from other clans. Even if they did, he doubted he would have had a positive reception anyways.

The ThunderClan warrior grimaced - there it was. He wanted to stick up for his friend, he really did, but getting on the entire clan's bad side didn't seem appealing. _'Sorry, pal; but you're on your own here'_ he thought solemnly. He hated himself for doing it. But he suddenly had a second thought, _'how fucking shallow are you?'_ the tom berated himself, _'say something!'_

"Alright, pipe down!" Sunblaze shouted from over the crowd.

"Shut up! All of you just shut up!" A she-cat's voice cried.

The crowd's protests lessened and the self-exiled cat began looking for the source of the voices who came to his defence. He saw Sunblaze and Squirrelflight, glaring at all their clanmates. Their eyes soon met and the she-cat flashed him a sweet smile.

He returned her smile. For the second time, Sparkclaw felt touched by the ginger she-cat. Outside of family, he couldn't think of anyone who cared for him more than her. Oh -it was cool of Sunblaze to stick up for him, too.

Firestar, satisfied that the clan's outraged had been quelled, continued with his speech, "Sparkclaw," he called.

The self-exiled cat clambered and scaled the rock, sitting at the ThunderClan leader's side. The tom held his head up high in pride.

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this warrior. He wishes to join our clan after his exile from his previous clan. Sparkclaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your own life?" The leader recited.

"I do," the ex-ShadowClan cat answered.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I pronounce you as a full warrior of ThunderClan," Firestar smiled.

The clan began to cheer his name, "Sparkclaw! Sparkclaw! Sparkclaw!". Though most of them didn't sound too enthusiastic but rather they sounded like they were doing it because it was mandatory. Although, he could hear Squirrelflight and Sunblaze's happy cheers over the crowd, the ginger she-cat being the louder of the two. Soon thereafter, the crowd parted and the new ThunderClan warrior hopped down from the rock.

Squirrelflight approached him, "congratulations on becoming a ThunderClan warrior," she praised.

"Thanks," Sparkclaw grinned, feeling butterflies run rampant in his stomach. He hadn't realised until now, but he didn't need to put his feelings for the pretty she-cat off any longer. They were part of the same clan - there was nothing wrong with him loving her.

"Why don't we go for a hunt to celebrate?" the ginger she-cat offered.

"Lead the way," the new ThunderClan warrior replied. His chance at a relationship with her was staring him in the face, he had to say something soon before it was too late. He remembered something Allen had told him just before he left for college; "Dave, if you ever see a chance to do what you wanna do - take it and don't let nobody get in your way. Understand?"

He understood.

This was his chance - and nothing on this Earth was going to take that from him.

The two cats ventured into ThunderClan's new territory. But what was supposed to be a hunt proved to be something else. They weren't even looking for prey, they were just walking, listening to the sounds of nature and feeling the sun shine through the trees and onto them.

"Hey, Squirrelflight..." Sparkclaw started. He felt his heart beating like a jackhammer in his chest, threatening to burst.

"Yeah?" The ThunderClan warrior responded, her ears pricked as her lips tugged up to form a slight grin. Butterflies ran amok in her stomach, tying it in knots. Was he going to tell her? The anticipation was killing her.

"How do I say this?" The brown tabby muttered to himself. He inhaled deeply to soothe his nerves, "u-um...how do I put it?" he asked himself again, "I...uh, I've kinda...liked you for a while now, and I wanna know..."

"Yes!" Squirrellflight squealed, bowling the tabby over and burying her face into his chest, "yes! A thousand times yes!" she cried out.

"Woah, settle down there!" Sparkclaw laughed, a stupid grin on his face. That went better than expected, that's for sure. But he had never felt so lucky, so privileged, in his entire life. They were an item.

The ginger she-cat looked up, her green eyes meeting his blue one, "so...do we..." the ThunderClan warrior drifted off.

"Get off me first," The new ThunderClan warrior responded with a smile.

"Oh, sorry!" She apologised sheepishly, getting off of her mate.

Sparkclaw get to his paws, standing close to his mate as they look into each other eyes. The ginger she-cat stood with a sheepish smile on her face, "so, now do we..." she started.

"Yep, c'mere," he replied.

The two cats pressed their noses together, closing their eyes. Soon thereafter, they pulled away and pressed their heads together, purring loudly. Nothing could ruin this moment for them.

Nothing.


	36. Chapter 36

Smokepaw sat outside the apprentice's den in the newly-built WindClan camp. The tom absentmindedly stared off into the distance, paying no attention to the cats around him nor the tension between them.

Tallstar, the leader of his clan and a cat he looked up too, had died two days prior. The old, black and white tom passed away not too long after the four clans had begun searching for new territories. Now, Onewhisker was now leader of WindClan - not Mudclaw.

The apprentice didn't know any details as to why, only that the now deceased leader appointed Onewhisker as deputy just before he passed on, swiping leadership away from the previous deputy suddenly. Unsurprisingly, some of his clanmates believed that Mudclaw deserved to be leader. Mudclaw was offered by the new leader to be his deputy, but he refused with bitterness in his voice and mouthed-off about Tallstar.

Smokepaw? He didn't care that Mudclaw wasn't leader. Though he disliked that he was speaking ill of the dead.

All the grey tom cared about at the moment was the death of Tallstar. While they hadn't known each other for long, he had shown him kindness that Smokepaw only associated with his Grandfather. In fact, Tallstar reminded him of his Grandfather in more ways than one; the look of wisdom in his eyes; the sound of his voice; his mannerisms. Losing Tallstar was like losing his Grandfather all over again.

Unpleasant and uninvited memories were pushed to the forefront on his mind. The tom could almost feel the brisk autumn air of the day his Grandfather was buried, he could almost hear the wind...and the sobs of his mother and grandmother. Smokepaw buried his face into paws as his expression twisted from the memory. _'(I'm not upset.)'_ , he tried to convince himself, _'(I'm not upset.)'_.

Even the unpleasant thoughts about home made him long for France. He missed his friends; his family; his job at Born Bad (even if he believed every customer was a snobby hipster); he missed playing with his band, The Rusty Keys, in small bars or pubs and secretly hoping that their big break was just around the corner; hell, he even missed the air which was more carbon dioxide than oxygen.

The apprentice suddenly felt a nudging in his side. He ignored it, silently willing whoever it was to go away and leave him be. Yet they persisted, nudging him a second and third time. "(Lord, give me strength,)" he mumbled, lifting his head from his paws. He saw Nightcloud, a new warrior, "what's up, Nightcloud?" he asked.

The she-cat, when Smokepaw first joined, hadn't payed any real attention to him due to the language barrier - the grey tom though she just didn't like him because he spoke 'gibberish'. But once he learned English, he found that Nightcloud was actually good company when Crowclaw wasn't around.

Too bad both of his friends couldn't stand each other.

"What are you doing?" The she-cat inquired.

"Nothing." Smokepaw replied.

"You sure?" Nightcloud pressed on.

The apprentice nodded. He didn't have anything against the black she-cat - he thought she was kind of cute, actually - but he wanted be by himself for now.

"Oh, okay then," The black she-cat mewed, sitting at Smokepaw's side - a little too close, in his opinion. The two cats sat in silence for a brief moment before Nightcloud interrupted the sweet, sweet silence Smokepaw was enjoying. "Do you think Mudclaw deserves to be leader?" she inquired suddenly.

The grey tom wondered until how long someone asked him for his opinion on the matter. Everyone in WindClan seemed to be on one side or the other. It wasn't hard to understand why; no WindClan cat had been present to hear Tallstar appoint Onewhisker as deputy - only Firestar was. It wasn't hard to understand why Onestar had only half the clan's support and the other half believed he was the ThunderClan leader's puppet.

"He was deputy for a long time, so yes - I guess he deserves it," he answered. He really didn't care, but telling Nightcloud what she wanted to hear would get her off his back hopefully.

The black warrior's eyes seemed to light up at his words, "I knew you thought that," she purred. She scooted a little closer to him, so close their pelts were almost brushing against one another.

Crowclaw suddenly padded up to the two, "buzz off, Nightcloud!" he hissed.

"Why should I?!" The she-cat spat back.

"Because nobody wants to hear you whine!" The grey-black warrior retorted.

Smokepaw exhaled though his nose, giving the two cats an exasperated glare. The two warriors didn't like each other - at all. They both ended up arguing and antagonising each other until someone told them to pipe down. He was _not_ in the mood to be dealing with them both.

"You know what? Fine!" Nightcloud snorted, holding her head high indignantly. Before she left, she turned to the grey apprentice, "do you want to share some prey later?" she inquired.

"Maybe." Smokepaw replied.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you then!" The black she-cat mewed before finally walking off.

"Thank StarClan," Crowclaw snorted once she was out of earshot, "I can't stand that she-cat! How are you even friends with her?!"

"You can't stand anyone," the apprentice stated casually, "and I can stand her because I don't hate everyone like you do,"

"Yes I can! I can stand and I don't hate Feathertail, you, Sparkclaw, Sunblaze, and Coldpaw! You guys are pretty cool," The warrior replied with a defensive tone. "Did you notice how even though you said 'maybe' Nightcloud thinks you're going to share prey?" Crowclaw suddenly added.

"Yep. She has a talent for only hearing what she wants to hear," Smokepaw meowed whilst grooming his fur.

"mhmm," Crowclaw agreed, "by the way, do you actually believe that Mudclaw deserves to be leader?" he inquired.

"I just said that to get Nightcloud off of my back - I don't actually care," Responded the apprentice. He wanted WindClan's situation to change very soon, he didn't know if he could go another day hearing nothing about the ex-deputy and the new leader.

"Me neither; I know Mudclaw was my mentor, but I _really_ don't care whose in charge - as long as they're not a fox-hearted piece of crowfood," the smokey grey tom stated.

"I second that." Smokepaw mewed.

The two toms sat in silence before Smokepaw's stomach growled, "I think I'll go get some prey with Nightcloud now," he murmured, "see you later," he added. Crowclaw replied with his own farewell as his friend walked off.

He approached the she-cat in question, finding her talking with Mudclaw. As she talked away, the ex-deputy kept his constant scowl while sending side glances at the leader - the cat he believed didn't deserve to be leader. Not Onestar's. Being near Mudclaw alone made Smokepaw uneasy. That tom was on the verge of doing something drastic, he felt it in his bones.

After the two cats ended their conversation, Nightcloud bumped into Smokepaw as they were both walking away. "Sorry, Smokepaw, I didn't see you there," she apologised.

"Oh, it's fine," the apprentice replied, "what were you talking to Mudclaw about?" there was a hint of worry in his voice. He didn't like the idea of Nightcloud chatting with someone on the verge of snapping.

"I was just telling him how you think he deserves to be leader," the black she-cat smiled.

"uh-huh," Smokepaw replied. _'(Nothing good's coming from that.)'_ he thought to himself. If Mudclaw thought he had the apprentice's full, unconditional support then he was mistaken. Perhaps he should have told the she-cat what he actually thought rather than trying to appease her.

"Sooo...do you want to share some prey now?" Nightcloud inquired.

"Yep." Responded the grey cat.

The two cats padded over to the fresh-kill pile, picking out a large hare. They chose to sit outside the Warriors den and began digging in. Smokepaw nibbled at his side of their dinner, keeping quiet.

"You know, you eat funny," The warrior commented.

Smokepaw swallowed his food, "it's just how I was raised," he replied. He had to bite back a sarcastic response. It wasn't his fault he was the only one with table manners and who didn't eat like an animal. Well, they _were_ animals but that was besides the point.

"Oh, I see," Nightcloud meowed. "Do you think you'll be made a warrior soon?"

"Soon, hopefully," answered Smokepaw. He had been wondering when he was going to be called up to be pronounced a warrior. Both Sunblaze and Sparkclaw had been pronounced warriors soon after they returned from the journey, and Coldpaw had been told Leopardstar was going to test him after RiverClan founded their new territory and camp - he found it unfair that Tallstar nor Onestar had told him anything yet. He done just as much as they three had.

"What do you think your name would be?" the she-cat inquired.

"I...don't know actually," he shrugged, "as long as it isn't dumb sounding I don't care,"

"I think you'll get a good name, no matter what," Nightcloud responded with a smile, scooting closer to him.

"As long as you're happy, I guess," Smokepaw grinned. He hadn't realised until now, but Nightcloud had taken his mind off of Tallstar and the longing for home that accompanied him.

"Wow! I've never seen you actually smile before," the black she-cat purred, "and I thought you were moodier than Crowclaw," she teased.

The apprentice laughed at the comment, "yes, well don't get used to it," he replied.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you actually know how to smile," she retorted with a playful tone, nudging the apprentice.

"My secret is safe, thank goodness," the grey tom smiled again.

Nightcloud opened her mouth to reply, but her words died off. She felt that something was wrong - very wrong. The she-cat looked around the camp, sighting Mudclaw stalking his way over towards Onestar. He nodded to several warriors, each of them nodding in return.

"Something's wrong..." The warrior murmured to herself, feeling her fur stand on end from the anxious feeling bubbling in her stomach. The ex-deputy nodded towards the two of them.

Both cats gave the brown tabby a confused look in response. What was that about? Smokepaw's attention soon turned to the sky after feeling a droplet of water land on his snout. Looking up he saw that the sky was blanketed by dark grey clouds, threatening to let loose a downpour.

"What is this? A movie? Nature's so cliché," the tom muttered to himself as it began to rain.

The cats who Mudclaw nodded towards so began following him, stopping just short of Onestar's den. "Onestar!" The ex-deputy yowled.

The WindClan leader turned to face the mob of WindClan cats. "Mudclaw, what's the meaning of this?!" he demanded, scanning over the group of warriors - _his_ warriors - standing before him. Each cat looked ready for battle. The sight made both fear and anger bubble together in his body. He knew his reign as leader was being threatened.

"What does it look like? I'm taking my rightful place as leader!" Mudclaw snapped. In response, those who hadn't sided with him rose to their paws and began hissing. Yet he was unfazed.

"You're outnumbered, Mudclaw. Step down now and I'll forget this ever happened," The light brown tabby glared.

The dark brown tabby yowled in response. Cats began slithering into WindClan camp, spitting and hissing. Smokepaw could tell from the scents that these cats were from RiverClan and ShadowClan.

Two cats stood out among the crowd; a brown tabby tom from RiverClan and a black cat from ShadowClan. The brown tabby was Hawkfrost. Smokepaw had seen him before - he was Coldpaw's mentor if he remembered correctly. And the ShadowClan cat? He couldn't forget what he looked like; it was Shade.

Shade had joined ShadowClan.

The WindClan apprentice felt his body freeze up in response, a feeling of overwhelming disgust erupted from the pit of his stomach. For a cat who wanted nothing more than to live normally, he sure wanted to be everywhere he and his three friends were.

"Last chance, Onestar!" Mudclaw growled, "give me what's rightfully mine! Give me what I _deserve_!" he roared.

onestar sat in silence. Surely the ex-deputy knew that only one cat from each clan could have nine lives at a time. Even if he obliged and let the dark brown tabby take his place, he could never truly be leader of WindClan. "...you know I can't oblige, Mudclaw." he finally said.

Mudclaw's amber eyes widened, then his expression twisted into one of pure hatred and rage. He unleashed a war cry, charging forward.

Then all hell broke loose.


	37. Chapter 37

As WindClan began tearing itself apart, Smokepaw sprang to his paws. He could see through the mass of cats his clanmates shredding each other to pieces. It didn't matter if it was friends or family - they were the enemy now and that's all the justification some cats needed. Others would hesitate, locking eyes with the other before simultaneously turning their attention away from one another.

The grey apprentice could also see Shade along with Hawkfrost. The two cats outmatched any enemies that were foolish enough to approach them. He cringed as he watched the black cat brutally slam poor Ashfoot's face into the ground, his expression dark.

The WindClan tom knew he had to do something, something other than just stand around and watch the carnage unfold. He had power, yes, but he wasn't as nearly as strong as his friends. He could 'throw' smoke but it wasn't strong enough to do any real damage, he had knocked that she-cat out cold with it back in that alley in Chelford but only after Sparkclaw had electrocuted her so badly she couldn't let go of him. His smoke just wasn't strong enough. Smokepaw felt frustration build up inside him, out of every power that could have manifest inside him, why couldn't it be something _useful?_ Like superhuman strength? Why did he get something useless?

On top of that, he didn't actually _like_ fighting. He hated it. Just being threatened with physical harm twisted his stomach in knots. Knowing that Shade was here only made that feeling that much more intense. Even with his sub-par ability - which he couldn't even use unless he wanted to be ran out of WindClan - he was left less than powerless. Smokepaw just wanted to run and hide; come back when the whole ordeal was done and pretend he had been fighting alongside the winners.

"What do we do?" Nightcloud asked quietly, looking up at Smokepaw with amber eyes full of hope. Hope that he knew what to do.

The tom looked down at her, his own eyes filled with uncertainty. But he realised something; Nightcloud was just as scared and as confused and as uncertain as he was. She needed him to know what to do to keep herself together. The she-cat was a brave, fierce warrior - but she wasn't trained to fight her own clan.

Smokepaw pushed his cowardly thoughts into a dark corner of his mind, where they belonged. Nightcloud needed him. She believed that Mudclaw deserved to be leader, but she wasn't following the ex-deputy.

She was following him.

The grey tom's expression darkened and his claws unsheathed themselves, digging into the ground beneath them. "Nightcloud, go get ThunderClan, make sure a cat named Sunblaze gets here," he ordered. Smokepaw didn't enjoy undermining his own clan, but with Shade here he needed a specific cat from the other clan, Sunblaze, to even things out. If Nightcloud could get a patrol with him on it to come here, the odds would be in their favour.

"What? But we need every cat fighting here!" Nightcloud protested.

"If Mudclaw gets to pull cats from other clans in, then we get to do it," Smokepaw replied. The she-cat did not object further, only nodding her head before sprinting off into the direction of ThunderClan. The apprentice joined the fray as she left.

Mudclaw caught Nightcloud fleeing out of the corner of his eye, "coward!" he yowled. He knew that he had the she-cat's support, yet she decided to run when he took the steps necessary to secure his own leadership.

The ex-deputy wasn't aware of the warriors leaping for him, too focused on boring holes into the fleeting she-cat's back. He was saved by Shade - now known as Shadepaw. The black cat easily overpowered the opposing cat, sending them running soon after. "Focus, Mudclaw," the ShadowClan apprentice mewed.

"You're forgetting who you're talking to, freak!" Mudclaw spat. The dark brown tabby was fully aware of Shadepaw's unique abilities. The only reason that the black cat was allowed to be anywhere near him was because he guaranteed victory. But he didn't like Shadepaw, all he was to Mudclaw was a monster wearing the skin of a cat and he wasn't afraid to let him know just what he thought.

"You should take your own advice," Hawkfrost warned after sending a WindClan apprentice running with their tail between their legs, "Shadepaw, isn't a cat you want to talk down to," he added. The tabby didn't necessarily disagree with Mudclaw's stance, but he knew better than to say it out loud.

"You're telling me this... _thing_ is a cat?" The ex-deputy snorted.

The ShadowClan cat's ear twitched, but he didn't reply. Annoyance was building up inside the tom, he didn't appreciate the comments nor the arrogance. The only reason that he was helping the ex-deputy was because he was instructed to.

"If you're found in different pieces in the other clans' territories, don't say I didn't warn you," the RiverClan cat shrugged. _'You better make me deputy of WindClan_ _after this or I'm the one whose going to leave you in pieces.'_ He added viciously in his mind.

Mudclaw suddenly spotted Onestar, "you!" the tom screeched, speeding over to the WindClan leader.

Hawkfrost watched him go, "he's like a kit," he muttered. A grey she-cat attempted to bowl him over, but he sidestepped the attempt and leaped onto the WindClan warrior, shredding at her pelt. She squealed in response, kicking him off and fleeing. "Remember not to kill anyone, Shadepaw - not that I care - but it's too much of a hassle for us to deal with right now," he reminded.

"You make it sound like I enjoy murder," Shadepaw commented, swiping his claws across a grey-black cat's face.

"Then why is there so much blood on your paws?" The RiverClan warrior challenged. He didn't believe that the ShadowClan cat didn't enjoy or take pleasure in taking the lives of others.

"Orders are orders - I didn't have a choice," The black cat responded. The cat came at him a second time, he took his frustrations out on the cat by slamming his head into the dirt.

"Oh, so Coldpaw and the others were just orders too?"

Shadepaw froze, turning to Hawkfrost. His usually calm green eyes were brimming with cold fury, "you're going down a dangerous road, Hawkfrost," he growled.

Hawkfrost didn't respond, squirming under the cat's gaze. He had crossed a line he shouldn't have and he actually felt fear. But he also felt hate - how dare he threaten him, the son of Tigerstar, and how dare he make him feel intimidated even though he was calling the shots. The dark tabby turned, focusing on the fight and hoping to take his emotions out on some poor soul.

The ShadowClan cat suddenly felt something crash into him, causing him to stumble and letting the WindClan cat he had pinned escape. He turned, finding Smokepaw crouched with his claws unsheathed. "You." he mewed coldly.

"Me." Smokepaw responded.

"Thanks, Smokepaw," the cat whom had been pinned praised, "the piece of fox-dung caught me by surprise,"

"Whatever you say, Crowclaw," the apprentice snorted.

"He did!" Crowclaw protested.

Their conversion was cut short as Shadepaw leapt at Smokepaw. The apprentice jumped back in response but the ShadowClan cat followed up by swiping at him, barely missing Smokepaw's cheek. He was faster than the WindClan cat had initially thought. He retaliated by swiping at the cat, catching him on his muzzle.

Crowclaw jumped onto Shadepaw's back, sinking his claws and teeth into the larger tom's pelt. The WindClan warrior suddenly felt something wrap around him, painfully squeezing him before tossing him aside. As Crowclaw lay crumpled on the ground, he looked over to Shadepaw. He saw shadowy tendrils snake into the ShadowClan cat's shadow. "What the..." he shook his head, "careful, Smokepaw! There's something not right about this fox-heart!" he warned.

"I know - gah!" The WindClan apprentice grunted as the other apprentice bowled him over. In response, he used his hind legs to land blow after blow into the ShadowClan apprentice's stomach. Yet he never budged.

"You're starting to annoy me," Shadepaw mewed.

The WindClan warrior froze for a second, watching as more shadow-like tendrils formed and snaked across the ground and towards his friend's head. He feared this 'cat', he had never heard nor seen anything like him - he was a monster. Crowclaw willed himself to move and forced his fear down, yowling as he crashed into the black tom.

Smokepaw scrambled to his paws as both Crowclaw and Shadepaw tussled on the ground. The smokey grey tom was being overpowered and he knew it, his eyes showing the fear he felt for the monster who was winning. Smoke partially enveloped the WindClan apprentice's paw as he tossed one of his smoke-bullets. He couldn't win against him in a fair fight - so he would play dirty.

The projectile barrelled though the air, crashing into the black tom's throat. He stumbled back, hacking and coughing. The scent of smoke burned in his nostrils, reminding him of places he never wanted to remember, of things he never remember. Images flashed in his mind's eye, he could almost feel the terrain of these places underneath his paws. He didn't know where he was. The tom began frantically looking around, an intense confusion gripping him. Where was he again? Afghanistan? Iraq? Was he in Area 52? He didn't know and not knowing was bringing forth a flurry of emotions.

Crowclaw wearily eyed the black cat, "should we...help him?" he inquired. He didn't know what was happening to the ShadowClan apprentice, he seemed to be experiencing something, but the tom didn't know what. It disturbed him.

"No..." Smokepaw said cautiously, "let's...leave him for now," he said.

"...Smokepaw,"

"What?"

"Are you like him too?" The WindClan warrior inquired.

The apprentice froze for second, feeling his stomach drop, "...y-yes, but we can deal with this later," he moved away from his friend quickly to continue fighting. Anxiety bubbled inside of him. He should've been more careful, now Crowclaw most likely thought he was some freak.

"Smokepaw!" He heard a voice call. The tom turned into direction of the voice, seeing Nightcloud.

Smokepaw opened his mouth to ask her if she had brought a ThunderClan patrol with her, but he was knocked over by a RiverClan warrior. The two cats began writhing on the ground, clawing at one another. The WindClan apprentice suddenly saw the opposing cat being flung to the side, Nightcloud chasing him off.

The black she-cat bounded over to him, "are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"I'm fine," the tom grunted, getting to his paws, "did you get a ThunderClan patrol?"

Nightcloud nodded, "I did," she smiled, "look around,"

Smokepaw did as he was instructed, seeing ThunderClan warriors fight alongside Onestar's WindClan. He could make out Sunblaze and Squirrelflight teaming up against a broad-shouldered tabby, and Brambleclaw fighting with Hawkfrost.

"Great job." Smokepaw praised, a hint of relief in his voice. This put the fight in Onestar's favour, and it was all thanks to Nightcloud.

"Traitor!" A voice screeched, full of rage. A dark brown blur suddenly slammed into Nightcloud. It was Mudclaw, "you _told_ me you believed I deserve to be leader, yet you run away like a coward!" he spat, tearing into the she-cat's pelt.

"Get off her!" Smokepaw yowled, bowling over the ex-deputy. The two toms rolled in the dirt before the dark brown tabby launched the apprentice off of him using his hind legs. He scrambled to his paws just as Mudclaw raked his claws across the tom's cheek.

"I thought you were on my side, Smokepaw!" Mudclaw spat, delivering another blow. The apprentice attempted to hit him, but the ex-deputy dodged and retaliated, "both of you are less than crowfood!"

"Says the one who-"

"-Shut it!" The ex-deputy growled, landing a vicious blow on the apprentice. Out of the corner of his eye, he could the opposing cat's paws were covered in a haze. Mudclaw bowled Smokepaw over before he could do anything. "Were you about to try something, you freak of nature?" the brown tabby taunted.

Smokepaw's eyes widened, "h-how do you know?" he demanded.

Mudclaw let out a dry chuckle, "how?" he echoed, suddenly slamming his claws into the apprentice's face. "You didn't do much to hide it," he brought his claws down again, "Webfoot always talked about how fast you were - you were like a grey blur, he said," and again, "it made sense how you were doing it after I saw Shade," and again, "you're _vermin_ like him!" he spat as he brought his claws down once more - harder this time.

Mudclaw kept going, repeatedly bringing his claws down, "and you're not going to take the leadership I worked so hard for no matter what you are!" he spat, "do you hear me?! I will be WindClan's leader, it is StarClan's _will!_ " he roared.

Nightcloud shakily got to her feet, gasping as she saw the ex-deputy, "Mudclaw, stop it! You're killing him!" she shrieked. The WindClan warrior wasted no more time before forcing Mudclaw off of her friend, raking her claws down him as she did so.

Mudclaw growled as he stumbled back, "you-" his words died down as he realised the fighting had stopped. There was no sounds of battle, only the sounds of rain. He looked around and found cats from all four clans staring and glaring at him, even his own followers. "What are you all doing?!" he demanded. Why were his followers standing around? Why weren't they tearing Onestar apart?

"We've realised what kind of cat you really are, Mudclaw," Hawkfrost stated, feigning disgust and outrage in his voice and expression, "you've shown us you're not fit to lead WindClan,"

The ex-deputy then realised he had lost all the support he had and that he had been betrayed by all of them, causing a searing anger to boil inside him. "I promised to make you my deputy, Hawkfrost! And this is how you repay me?!" he cried in outrage.

"Liar!" Hawkfrost spat fiercely, "you promised me _nothing!_ "

Mudclaw again realised he couldn't win here. Hawkfrost was too good of an actor to convince the other cats he was lying through his teeth. He had lost. "This isn't over, Onestar," he growled, turning tail and fleeing.

All the cats' attention turned to the heavily wounded apprentice, both ThunderClan and WindClan's respective medicine cats rushed to his side along with Smokepaw's friends. The apprentice's face was covered in his own blood and deep cuts. His right eye looked beyond repair.

"O-oh my god..." Sunblaze grimaced.

"I-is he...is he-" Nightcloud inquired with a shaky voice.

"Shut up! H-he's fine!" Crowclaw snapped, the panic in his voice evident. He turned to the medicine cats, "...R-right?"

"He'll live," Barkface spoke, "but he needs to be taken to the medicine den - quickly," he added grimly. He turned to the three warriors, "you three need to carry him," he commanded. Sunblaze, Nightcloud, and Crowclaw wasted no time in heaving the WindClan apprentice onto their backs, taking the injured tom over to the medicine den as fast as they could.

"Poor Smokepaw..." Squirrelflight said solemnly.

Brambleclaw frowned. Mudclaw needed to answer for what he did, "I'm going to find Mudclaw and-" Firestar placed his tail in front on him as he tried to leave.

"Brambleclaw, you can't go out yourself; there's too much ground to cover," The ThunderClan leader mewed. He turned to Onestar, "Onestar, we can-"

"Leave." Onestar spat.

"...Excuse me?" The ginger tom replied, bewildered.

"I didn't give you permission to be here. You're trespassing. Leave. Now." The WindClan leader demanded.

Firestar was lost for words. He and Onestar were friends since he had helped WindClan many moons ago. Why was he being hostile? "I...understand," he said finally, though his words rang hollow. The ginger tom gathered his clan, then left without another word.

Mudclaw had run through the rain. His lungs were burning, his heart was beating quickly, his muscles were aching. The dark tabby couldn't run for much longer, eventually stopping at the island the clans had decided to use for gatherings.

Even in his tired state, he had enough energy to tear away at tufts of grass beneath his claws in frustration. He didn't understand why is own clan was against him. Mudclaw had done so much for them when he was deputy. Yet they followed Onestar, a cat who hadn't done nearly half as much as he had. He deserved to be leader, not Onestar. Why couldn't they see that?

He deserved to be leader...right?

"Mudclaw." He heard a voice call to him.

The ex-deputy spun around, finding both Hawkfrost and Shadepaw standing before him. The RiverClan cat gave him a cold glare while the ShadowClan apprentice had a dark expression, like he was troubled by something.

"What do you want?!" Mudclaw demanded, "was betraying me not enough?!"

"We need to 'tie up loose ends', as Shadepaw put it," Hawkfrost responded, "you know too much - you almost gave me away," he stated. "We can't have you running around,"

The ex-deputy opened his mouth to reply, but only cried out in pain instead. One of Shadepaw's shadows had impaled him, lifting him up into the air. The ghastly tendril embedded itself into a nearby tree along with the dark brown tabby. "W-why?" he croaked.

"To tie up loose ends." Hawkfrost repeated.

But he ShadowClan cat didn't respond and his dark expression never changed. Instead, the shadow-like tendril Mudclaw was impaled on burst though the other end of the tree before wrapping itself around it and Mudclaw. The tree began groaning and the sound of roots being lifted out of the soil filled the air.

Mudclaw's eyes widened as he realised what was happening - they were going to flatten him and crush him so he was unrecognisable. He couldn't cry out for them to stop, either because he was too scared or because of the agony he was experiencing. The tree began falling forward and Mudclaw finally found his voice to let out one last terrified, blood-curdling wail until he was suddenly silenced as the tree impacted the ground.

"That was...violent," Hawkfrost commented.

"Never liked him." Shadepaw mumbled, turning away and heading for ShadowClan territory.

The RiverClan cat watched him leave, there was something strange about that cat. He wasn't his usual cold and quiet self. Instead, he seemed troubled and upset. The tom ignored the thought, turning away and heading for his own territory.

Shadepaw was fine; monsters didn't have feelings.


	38. Chapter 38

Coldpaw stirred in his nest, feeling the harsh sunlight on his eyes. Half conscious, he grumbled and turned in the nest, facing away from the light. He really needed a new nest; one that wasn't in alignment with the sun.

On top of that, he wasn't a morning person whatsoever. He missed waking up in the afternoon rather than the morning. Actually, he missed a lot of things. The grey tom forced the thoughts out of his mind. This was home now, whether he liked it or not.

The apprentice sighed, getting up out of his nest and yawning. He supposed he should find Hawkfrost and start another day of training. Well, 'training' was a loose term, the dark brown tabby was more of a friend than a teacher to him.

Perhaps that was a pro. The RiverClan warrior never pushed him too hard nor did he shout at him. Hunting felt like a fishing trip between two friends and sparring - as Clodpaw was both too old and large to spar with apprentices - felt like rough-housing between two friends as well.

The grey tom stepped outside, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. It must have been early in the morning, not many cats were up and about. It appeared as though that Hawkfrost wasn't awake yet, so Coldpaw decided to get some breakfast while he had time.

The apprentice padded over to the fresh-kill pile, wrinkling his nose at the scent of fish. As much as he enjoyed fish, the smell could be overwhelming. He shifted through the pile, trying to look for something other than fish - he had eaten enough of that for a lifetime.

The tom picked out a water vole and sat outside the apprentice's den, digging in to the piece of prey. The meat of the semi-aquatic rodent tasted, as cliché as it sounded, tasted a lot like chicken. After he finished the pushed the carcass away, satisfied. It was good to know there was something in the prey pile that wasn't fish or tasted like it.

Coldpaw saw as Hawkfrost exited the warrior's den, groggily stretching while yawning. Soon he would be joining his mentor in the warrior's den as a fellow warriors and not an apprentice. It couldn't be that far off, he thought. Leopardstar had said that he would be assessed soon after they found a new territory. It had been three days now and the tom was beginning to grow impatient.

Hawkfrost approached him, "morning, Coldpaw," he greeted.

"Morning," the apprentice replied.

"I'm going to have breakfast first, then I'll tell you what we're doing today," The dark brown tabby mewed.

The tom nodded in response. The use of 'we' made Coldpaw feel like his assessment wouldn't be today. Had Leopardstar forgotten about it? Perhaps he needed to remind his leader about it. Maybe she just thought he wasn't ready. If that was the case, he would appreciate being told so.

Hawkfrost picked out a minnow from the fresh-kill pile, silently devouring it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell that Coldpaw was frustrated about something. It was most likely about his assessment, the tom concluded. The RiverClan warrior was responsible for his apprentice's frustration. He really should have been assessed yesterday, but he had been busy with Mudclaw and Shadepaw. After he finished, "today's your big day, Coldpaw," the tom stated, licking his muzzle clean, "you're going to be assessed,"

Coldpaw's eyes widened, "really? It's about time," he muttered.

"I guess you were getting impatient," the warrior commented, "anyways, most of the time apprentices are to hunt for the day while the mentor watches - but, we're doing something different," he stated.

"And that is?" questioned the apprentice.

"What you're going to do is hide from me for the rest of the day until sunset," Hawkfrost answered, "if I find you, or if you go onto another clan's territory - you fail," he warned, "understand?"

"Yes," Coldpaw replied, grimacing slightly. There weren't many places to hide on RiverClan territory, it was mostly grasslands with a few trees and bushes scattered around. He had to hide from Hawkfrost, somehow mask his scent, and find somewhere to hunker down until the sun went down. It was going to be a struggle of a test.

"Good, now you better get going," Hawkfrost urged.

The apprentice nodded, wasting no time in leaving RiverClan camp. When he had gotten far enough away, and was certain that his mentor wasn't on his heels, he allowed himself to stop in his tracks. The tom needed to think, he needed a plan.

Coldpaw knew he needed to mask his scent or somehow have his scent cover everything to get Hawkfrost off of him. _'(Mud. I could use mud.)'_ he thought to himself. The only issue was that the weather wasn't right for mud - it was too dry.

Then he had an idea. The grey tom watched as frost and rime formed on his paw before pressing it on the ground, sending ice into the ground before rapidly melting into water. As he did so, the dirt and the grass absorbed the water as if it had rained. Lifting his paw from the ground he found that it was covered in mud.

"(This won't be pleasant.)" Coldpaw grimaced. He began rolling in the mud, shuddering at the unpleasant feeling and textures as it clung to his pelt. The tom got to his paws, caked in mud. Hopefully, this would work.

The tom continued aimlessly wandering through the territory. Though he didn't like that it was taking him so long to find a place to hide until sunset - he had been out for an hour or so, he should've found somewhere by now. He suddenly caught the scent of a RiverClan cat. Hawkfrost? Maybe. But he wasn't going stick around to find out.

The apprentice got away as far as he could, taking refuge in a bush. He even went the extra mile to run in random directions, zig-zagging, and crossing over paths he had already taken. Hawkfrost wouldn't find him now.

In the bush, Coldpaw curled up in as tight of a ball he could. He shifted uncomfortably as twigs poked at his skin. But while the tom was hiding, he had some time to think. His thoughts drifted to how he managed to turn the dirt to mud earlier.

Coldpaw had a degree in engineering and he had made a living as an electrical engineer. He didn't pretend to understand anything he didn't know. But he had a feeling that he shouldn't have been able to do what he did with the way he thought his powers worked.

As far as the apprentice was aware, his powers worked by freezing moisture in the air to form ice. But he was beginning to doubt that. Perhaps it wasn't just moisture in the air or water. Perhaps he was freezing the air itself and maybe even matter solid. Though he pushed that last thought about freezing matter out of his mind, it was hurting his head thinking about it.

Coldpaw would just take his ability at face value for now. It made things easier and less complicated. Suddenly, he felt a paw step on his tail. The tom jumped in response, then sighed and muttered to himself in his native language. He just failed because he wasn't careful and let his tail come out from the bush.

The cat removed their paw from his tail and the apprentice crawled out from the bush, sitting on his hunches as he turned to face the cat who found him - Hawkfrost.

"Coldpaw," he greeted.

"Hawkfrost," the apprentice replied, defeated. He can't believe he had allowed such a stupid and dumb mistake cost him this assessment, "that was...I can't believe myself - how am I that stupid to leave my _tail_ out!?," he fumed.

The warrior groomed his chest fur, "you were able to throw me off for quite a while though," he reminded, "if it hadn't been found a few more hours you could have made it to sunset,"

The grey tom looked up at the sun, squinting his eyes. He couldn't tell the time by looking at the sun or moon like Sunblaze could, but it looked like it was maybe five or six o'clock. "Maybe," mewed the apprentice, "but I still failed," he mumbled.

"Maybe, maybe not; but I'm impressed you used mud and went over the same tracks several times to throw me off," Hawkfrost praised.

Coldpaw's ears pricked up, "you're still considering making me a warrior?" his features softened, "I...thank you, Hawkfrost," he said with a humble tone.

The dark tabby flashed a small smile, "it's nothing," he replied. The RiverClan warrior beckoned him with his tail, "walk with me," invited Hawkfrost.

His apprentice followed closely behind him, "Hawkfrost, I just want to say that I'm thankful for everything you've done for me - if it wasn't for you...I don't know where I'd be," he admitted.

The RiverClan warrior was taken aback somewhat. Everything he had done for Coldpaw had been in order to keep him in RiverClan and to make it easier for Tigerstar when he inevitably approached the apprentice. Yet he was grateful and appreciative.

Hawkfrost began to doubt his actions. All he had to do was make sure he got into the clan, so why did he do everything else? He didn't have to ask Leopardstar to make Coldpaw his apprentice. He didn't have to have to give the apprentice some of the fish he had hunted. He didn't have to decide that Coldpaw passed, even though he failed.

Why did he see Coldpaw as his friend and not the monster the rest of them were in his eyes?

The dark tabby finally found his voice, "it was nothing, Coldpaw. You're my friend," he brushed off the praise. A part of him felt guilty he had been lying to him. The apprentice thought that they both wanted to unite the clans to ensure peace - even though Hawkfrost only wanted power. Coldpaw remained blissfully unaware that he was just a pawn, a stepping stone for Tigerstar and himself.

"I mean it," The apprentice smiled, "it means a lot to me,"

Hawkfrost didn't reply; he didn't know how to respond to his apprentice. The tom, felt awkward, "so...do you remember that talk we had a while ago? About the four clans?" inquired the warrior.

"Yes. Why?" replied Coldpaw.

"Just asking," Hawkfrost responded. He looked up at the sky, seeing that the sun was getting closer to the horizon and that the sky had gained an orange hue. He turned to his apprentice, "congratulations, Coldpaw. You passed your assessment," he praised. He turned around, heading for RiverClan camp.

Coldpaw waited before heading back to RiverClan, deciding to make his return after the sun had set. Oncc it did, he began making his way back. He couldn't help but feel extremely lucky to have Hawkfrost as both his (ex-)mentor and friend. The dark tabby had given him so much without even expecting anything back in return. Still, he would return the favour one day.

Once he returned, Leopardstar was waiting for him. "Congratulations on passing your assessment, Coldpaw," she praised, a smile on her face. "Hawkfrost isn't an easy cat to fool, you know,"

"Thank you," he replied, lowering his head slightly in embarrassment. He also felt slightly guilty that he hadn't _really_ passed his assessment. But he wasn't going to speak up about it. He was content to just play along.

"Are you ready for your warrior ceremony?"

The grey tom nodded, "yes."

The RiverClan leader beckoned him with her tail, beckoning him to stand at her side at the top of the willow tree stump that looked over the camp. "Let all cats old enough to swim gather to hear my words!" She yowled. All clan cat trickled out from their dens, slowly gathering at the base of the stump.

Coldpaw felt embarrassed, feeling all eyes on him. He had never been good at being the centre of attention.

"Coldpaw has passed his assessment and will now receive his warrior name," Leopardstar stated. She took a deep breath, "I, Leopardstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn."

The grey tom at her side attempted to stay stone-faced, yet the corners of his mouth twitched upwards into a smile. Finally, he would be a warrior.

She turned to the apprentice, "Coldpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Coldpaw replied, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Coldpaw, from this moment you will be known as Coldstorm. StarClan honors your initiative and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." Leopardstar said.

"Coldstorm! Coldstorm! Coldstorm!" Chanted RiverClan.

Coldstorm grinned. It was like graduation day all over again.


	39. Chapter 39

Nightcloud watched over the unconscious form of Smokepaw, her amber eyes fixated on him as his chest weakly rose and fell. ' _His name's Smokefoot now.'_ she reminded herself. Onestar had granted the tom his warrior name the day after Mudclaw's failed attempt to overthrow the WindClan leader.

The tabby tom had said the reason he made Smokepaw a warrior was because he had proved himself in that battle. Onestar said he was brave and independent for his virtues. But Nightcloud knew the _real_ reason the leader made him a warrior.

Onestar thought that Smokefoot wouldn't wake up. The black she-cat could remember the look on his face when he saw the newly-made warrior's wounds. She could vividly remember Barkface exiting his den, his paws stained with blood. Both Crowclaw and herself had rushed into the medicine den, finding most of their friend's face and right eye was covered in blood-soaked cobwebs.

Smokefoot hadn't woken up since then and it had been two days now. Nightcloud felt both feelings of powerlessness and guilt well up inside her which threatened to overflow. She could have prevented this had she gotten up faster after Mudclaw attacked her. It was because her that the tom could possibly die.

Nightcloud pressed her muzzle into Smokefoot's fur, taking in his scent. The tom lived up to his name in a strange way; he smelled vaguely of smoke mixed with WindClan's scent. Though she thought it was pleasant scent. One that may never fill her nostrils again.

"I'm so sorry, Smokefoot. I really am," she muttered softly, her voice breaking a little. "Please, wake up," she begged.

Barkface, whom had been quietly sorting herbs, lowered his head as she heard Nightcloud's words. Despite his wisdom as a medicine cat and messenger of StarClan he couldn't do anything for the warrior other than change the cobwebs on his face and give the unconscious cat moss, soaked with water, to keep him hydrated - he was at the mercy of their ancestors now. The medicine cat felt frustration boil inside him. What good was a medicine cat who couldn't help their patient?

Crowclaw padded into the den, carrying a small rabbit in his maw. He sat it down, nudging towards Nightcloud, "I brought you something to eat," the tom mewed.

"Thank you," muttered Nightcloud, taking little bites out of the prey. While the gesture was nice, she wasn't hungry. Still, the she-cat couldn't bring herself to tell Crowclaw that; he was just trying to be nice.

She had to admit that she was a little surprised they could set their differences aside for once. For Smokefoot's sake at least. The she-cat felt something flutter inside her at the thought of the warrior. It was a shame a cat so handsome had to have his face scarred.

"Has he woken up at all, Barkface?" Crowclaw inquired.

"No, unfortunately," the medicine cat replied, "even then, they slip right back in after a few seconds,"

"But you said cats in comas come-to," the warrior reminded, his tail lashing behind him.

"Sometimes they come to," corrected Barkface, "even then, it's only for a few seconds,".

Nightcloud gave an impatient hiss, "stop arguing,". She knew this was the tom's way of dealing with his best (and only) friend's condition, yet she didn't want anyone to argue or raise their voice in front of Smokefoot. He didn't need right now - none of them did.

Crowclaw whipped around, opening his mouth to reply before letting out a quick, low hiss in response. He had a lot on his mind already without arguing with the she-cat. He had burning questions that needed to be answered. Like what was Smokefoot? How many cats were like him? Was Sunblaze, Sparkclaw, and Coldpaw like him? Those three were really close to the unconscious cat, maybe has close to him as he was.

"Do you think he'll wake up?" asked the she-cat in a low voice.

The tom stared at her in response, his voice lost. Doubt that his friend would ever wake up began slowly cementing itself in his mind. Would he ever wake up? Crowclaw responded, "of course he will! How can you even _ask_ that?!" though he wasn't yelling at her, he was shouting at himself for even entertaining such a thought.

Nightcloud's back arched, "am I not allowed to worry about my friend's health?!" she spat.

"...(Worry about whose health?)"

All three cats turned to the hoarse-sounding voice, finding Smokefoot fully conscious. His left eye looking around the den, lost and confused.

"Smokefoot!" Both Nightcloud and Crowclaw cried. The she-cat rushed over, gently nuzzling him underneath his chin, "thank StarClan!" she purred.

The grey tom's face twisted into a look of confusion, "(Smoke...foot?)" he echoed. He suddenly became aware that he was speaking in his first language, "uh...Smokefoot?"

The smokey-grey tom filled him in, "you were made a warrior while you were out,"

"Oh." Smokefoot mewed, "...how long have I been unconscious?"

"Two days," Barkface stated, "now, you're probably hungry so Nightcloud can-"

"-W-why can't I see out of my eye?"

The den descended into awkward, uncomfortable silence. The medicine cat cleared his throat, "Mudclaw blinded you in your right eye during the fight, Smokefoot," he said grimly, "I'm sorry,"

Smokefoot took in a deep and shaken breath, nodding in response. Nightcloud gave him a comforting lick on the ear, "he's gone now, he can't hurt you again," she reassured.

But the tom didn't respond, "I'll never be able to see out of it again?" he asked weakly, still holding out for some hope that it was only temporary.

"I'm sorry," Barkface responded.

The she-cat gave him a reassuring nuzzle. Smokefoot returned the gesture by giving her a quick lick on the head, Nightcloud smiled in response and blushed lightly. In truth, he didn't know why he did that.

"It...it is fine," the tom spoke, "can you take these...webs off of my face?"

"Of course. They need to be changed anyways," the medicine cat mewed. He began removing the cobwebs from Smokefoot's face, revealing that his face had a multitude of scabs - most of which were small - and that his right eye was now milky white in colour instead of the amber it used to be.

Barkface's eyes widened, "you're wounds healed pretty fast," he commented, "I've never seen this before, you don't even need more cobwebs," muttered the tom, "it's fascinating, really,".

"Really?" Smokefoot mewed. He remembered that his cracked ribs had healed pretty quickly too. Perhaps he could heal wounds faster than most cats. A healing factor - he thinks that's what it's called, "I think I heal faster than most,".

"I guess so. Well, I think you should get something to eat," the brown tom suggested.

Nightcould padded to Smokefoot's side as he shakily stood up, "easy there," she mewed. The tom leaned against her for support as they exited the den. Both Crowclaw and Barkface watched as they went on their way, the she-cat's tail just barely curling around the toms.

"Do you know if those two are mates?" The medicine cat inquired.

The warrior shrugged in response, "I dunno. Maybe,"

"Hm, we can both at least see Nightcloud has feelings for Smokefoot,"

"Oh yeah, definitely,"

The two cats made their way towards the fresh-kill pile. Some of their clanmates came over to them, asking how the tom was recovering and that is was great to see him awake again. He thanked them in response, walking on with a small smile. He felt like these cats truly cared about his wellbeing.

Smokefoot picked out the smallest thing he could, not feeling too hungry despite going two full days without eating. He took small bites out of the prey, setting it aside after finishing a mere quarter of it.

"C'mon," Nightcloud urged, "you need to eat,"

"I'm full," the warrior mumbled.

The she-cat rolled her eyes, "you're like a kit," she scoffed.

"I can't argue with that," replied the grey cat, shrugging his shoulders.

She pressed against him, "you need to eat," Nightcloud mewed.

"Fine," Smokefoot huffed, reaching for the quarter-eaten prey. His paw only hit the ground, missing its intended target.

"I'll get it for you," the warrior stated.

"No, it's okay you don't-"

Nightcloud sat his meal in front of him then sat back down beside him. Smokefoot mumbled a half-embarrassed 'thanks'. He sat it in his blindside by mistake. The tom ate in silence until he was finished.

The she-cat rested her head on his shoulder, "I thought you might not wake up," she admitted, sniffling.

Smokefoot felt touched, and he swears he felt something akin to butterflies in his stomach. "You really care for me, don't you?" he mewed.

Nightcloud nodded, "of course I do," she replied. The black she-cat looked up at him, her amber eyes full of emotion, "Smokefoot, do you-"

"-hope I'm not interrupting anything important 'cause I need to talk to Smokefoot," Crowclaw interrupted as he approached them.

The she-cat's fur bristled and her claws sank into the earth, "Crowclaw!" she spat, outrage lacing her voice. Smokefoot jumped at her sudden change of demeanour, his eyes wide. Every cat in camp turned to see what had her so riled up.

"What?" Crowclaw glared.

Nightcloud's anger faded as quickly as it came, being replaced by embarrassment as she began to soothe over her fur with her ears pressed against her head, "n-nothing. It's nothing," she responded, mumbling and flustered.

"Uh-huh," responded the tom with a disinterested tone, "c'mon," he said to the grey cat. The two toms exited camp, walking side-by-side in silence. "So, what exactly are you, Smokefoot?" Crowclaw inquired, facing his friend.

The other tom halted in his tracks, staring at him before lowering his head, "you think I am a monster, yes?" he said lowly.

"What? No, of course not!" The smokey-grey cat snapped, "you're different but you're not a freak," he reassured. "I just have some questions - that's all," added Crowclaw in a more gentle tone.

Smokefoot raised his head once again, "alright," he replied with a nod, "what is it you want to know?"

"What are you?" The warrior inquired.

"Something called a metahuman,"

"Do all you metahumans have powers?" the smokey-grey tom inquired, "StarClan, that's weird to say," he mumbled.

"Yes,"

"Are they all like your's and that ShadowClan cat?"

"It's different from per- cat to cat,"

"Are Sunblaze, Sparkclaw, and Coldpaw metahumans, too?"

Smokefoot halted in his tracks for a second time. Could he really trust him with such a secret? If all of the clans were to find out - they would exiled. Forced out of the lives and relationships they had built up after coming here. None of them could go through losing everything a second time. In truth; it would likely break them.

But that wouldn't happen, Crowclaw could be trusted. The smokey-grey said himself that he accepted him. So there was nothing to fear, right? Smokefoot finally nodded in response, "they are, yes," he confirmed, "how do you know?"

"You four were really close after we stopped at that barn," mewed Crowclaw, "plus, I remember my cheek felt tingly after Sparkclaw slapped me," he added with a bit of a growl at the end.

"That makes sense," mused the grey tom.

Both cats stopped, finding a place on WindClan territory where they could see across the river. The setting sun's orange hue bounced off of the lake, creating a beautiful spectacle. They could see ShadowClan's territory on the other side, it's tall and dark pine trees giving off an oppressive air.

"Do you think we're going to run into that ShadowClan cat again?" The smokey-grey tom asked, looking towards his friend for an answer. His blue eyes were full of dread, fear, and need to be wrong; a hope to never, ever meet that horrid cat again.

At first, Smokefoot didn't answer. He hadn't thought about Shade until now. The tom felt sick to his stomach as dread poisoned his heart just like it did Crowclaw. After what he did to him, whatever it was, he had no doubt in his mind that the black cat wouldn't let him live.

"...Yes. We will."


	40. Chapter 40

**Nevada, USA - 1995**

The blazing summer Nevada sun burned onto the streets below. The heat was so intense one could fry an egg on the sidewalk. Though, the clear blue sky and cool breeze made it bearable. People, young and old, sat on their porches in the shade in this average American suburban neighbourhood.

Though a six year old Isaac Ambrose couldn't care less about the heat. He had short black hair and green eyes full of innocence and laughter, he wore a white shirt, black shorts, and black sneakers. One of his hands mimicked the shape of a gun while the other held it, chasing after his friend and making the sounds of gunshots with his mouth.

"You can't hit me!" His friend, Lenny Parker, taunted in a sing-song voice. He, like Isaac, was six years old. The brown mop of hair on his head bobbed and bounced as he ran as did his red shirt and blue shorts. Lenny looked over his shoulder to get a good look at his friend, a mischievous look in his blue eyes, and stuck his tongue out to taunt him.

He began running faster, "yes I can!" cried Isaac. He 'fired' off shots rapidly, aiming to hit the other young boy with an imaginary bullet. One of these imaginary bullets found their mark, and Lenny flopped down onto the grass as he heard Isaac cried out in victory.

Lenny let his tongue hang out of his mouth, playing dead as he made a gurgling sound. "I win! I win!" cheered Isaac with a grin on his face. Suddenly he heard a 'pew! pew!' from behind him and his grin faded. He whipped around to see Cody Hood, pointing at him with a toy gun.

"Awww," he groaned in defeat as he lay down on the grass, "I thought I won," he grumbled. The three boys heard the sound of a door opening and turned to see Isaac's mom leaning against the door frame.

"C'mon in, sweetie. It's time for dinner," she said with a smiled on her face.

Her son frowned a little. He wanted to keep playing with Lenny and Cody, but his stomach growled in protest. "Okay," he replied, getting off the ground and to his feet. Isaac ran up to his mom and rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, showing off a bandage on his bicep, "look mom, we got shots at school today!" he exclaimed, "and I was brave!" he said with a proud grin.

She kissed him on the forehead, "you're just my brave little soldier," she turned to her son's friends, "He'll come back out to play after he's finished his dinner, boys,"

"Okay, Mrs. Ambrose," both Lenny and Cody said at once. They then continued playing, laughing as they chased one another while Isaac followed his mother inside.

Night eventually fell, the blue sky giving way to black sky full of stars and a silver moon hanging above, washing everything in a soft, pale light. Isaac lay peacefully in his bed with action figures at his feet. It made him feel safe in the dark. But for some reason on this night - he didn't feel safe.

He opened his eyes, planning to get up and creep into his parent's bed. As Isaac's eyes adjusted to the darkness of his room, he was greeted by the sight of a man shrouded in darkness and looming over him.

"Daddy?" Isaac mumbled groggily. In response, the man covered his mouth with his hand. The young boy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as began struggling. He soon felt a small, stinging pain in his arm which was followed by an increasingly-growing feeling of fatigue. Soon, he stopped struggling as his eyes fell shut against his will.

 **...**

Dr. Carter stood on the platform in the empty room, looking over it. Rows of gigantic, cold, hard stairs would act as seats for the children, all seventy five of them. The room was completely barren; no paint on the walls, no heating, just stone. She hated it. She hated the base of operations too.

A military base was constructed for this one project. While it was out in the middle of the desert, nobody was ever going to know about its existence save for the people there. Satellites that would never update any data over this area and heavily-restricted airspace made sure of that. The based was named Area 52 along with having the nicknames 'Nowhere' and 'Ghost-Town' because it didn't technically exist.

Dr. Lauren Carter, a woman in her mid-thirties standing at average height, was the brains of this little highly-unethical military project. She wore a black pencil skirt, a white blouse with a white lab coat over it, and black high-heels. Her chin-length blonde hair had been tied into a ponytail and her thick-rimmed glasses sat comfortably on her face.

She checked her watch, seeing that the hands of the clock dictated that it was two in the morning. She turned to her associate, Senior Chief Petty Officer Frederick Briggs, "I thought your agents were supposed to be here ten minutes ago," she leered. Dr. Carter didn't want time to think, she wanted this project to start and never stop. If it did, even for a second, her conscious would drag her down and never let her go.

SCPO Briggs, a bald and middle-aged man who towered over her, his face could have been chiselled out of stone for all the emotion it showed. But his grey eyes were battle-hardened - those of a veteran of battles upon battles. He wore military fatigues and combat boots. Nothing fancy.

"The C.I.A. spooks aren't my men, Doctor," Briggs corrected, his deep voice rumbling throughout the room. Both of them sat in silence for a brief moment before the soldier asked a question Carter hoped never to be asked, "why kids?"

Dr. Carter had to swallow the lump in her throat before she answered, "as you know, Briggs, the next major war is predicted to be fought with metahumans. The U.S. wants to be ahead of the curve," she explained, adjusting her glasses with a shaky hand. "Of course, some metas could kill you just by sneezing - employing and training adults is too risky if you told them they were government property now; we need people who have nothing and know nothing but the military,"

"Kids," Briggs frowned, "you kidnapped children to make soldiers,"

Dr. Carter nodded, "that's right," she said in a low voice, "we took blood samples of every child between four and six years old in Nevada to see if they had the dormant gene inside them," she gestured to the empty rows in front of them, "and seventy five children are going to be sitting right here,"

Minutes later, seventy five children with an equal number of instructors/handlers - handpicked by the Criminal Intelligence Agency - flooded into the room and made the children sit on the uncomfortable stone. Each child had the same expression on their face; a mixture fear and confusion. Dr. Carter could barely look at them. The shock of their predicament must be hitting them like blows from a boxer.

Isaac's tired eyes frantically scanned the cold stone room around him. Where was he? Was this a bad dream? Where were his mom and dad? Tears blurred his vision as they welled up in his eyes, yet he wouldn't allow himself to cry; only little babies cried.

He looked around the room full of unfamiliar faces, hoping to see any of the kids from his school. The young boy eventually found someone - he found Lenny Parker, looking around the room with the same look of terror and uncertainty as him. Isaac saw a four year old girl stand up, only to have one of the men grab her by the shoulders with an iron grip and force her to sit down.

The room finally calmed down and went silent save for the occasional sniffle and quiet sob. Briggs whispered to Dr. Carter, "what do we tell them?"

"The truth, Chief. They at least deserve to know that," she responded in a low voice. Dr. Carter stepped forward, all of the children's attention turning to her. The doctor was by no means shy, but being the focus of the eyes of these children caused her words to be stuck in her throat.

"You have shown yourselves to have great potential, greater than most, and you are hereby conscripted into the U.S. Military Special Project code-named Hollywood," Dr. Carter stated in a clear voice. She saw the look of confusion on the faces of the children. They didn't understand. How could they?

Isaac's brow furrowed in confusion. Shown to have great potential? Did that mean they were special? What did he show? Did Hollywood mean they were going to be movie stars? But he didn't care, all he wanted was to go home to his mommy and daddy.

The Doctor willed herself to continue her speech, "you will all be defenders of your nation and the values it was built upon," those patriotic words rang hollow in her ears - but that wasn't the worst of what she had to say to these children, "you can never return to your families. Your fellow trainees are now your family and Area 52 is your new home."

Isaac's heart sank into his stomach. He would never see his parents again, he would never feel their arms around him in a hug, and he their voices telling him how much they loved him or to eat his vegetables or to do his homework. Isaac wanted to see his mom and dad again. With tears in his eyes, he stood up to make an escape but the man behind him forced him back down. He couldn't win.

"Your orders?" Briggs asked Dr. Carter.

"Get them ready for tomorrow and put them to bed," she responded, "don't give them enough time to think about what we've done to them,"

He nodded silently, "fall out!" barked Briggs. On his words, the handlers ushered the children out of the hall. They were lead to another room, with chairs and mirrors, and their heads were shaved. The children were then showered together with cold water, dried, then given dog tags with their first name and a letter (the first letter of their surname) followed by a three-digit number from one to seventy five. They were then put to bed in a bunker.

After they had been put to bed, they all fell into a deep sleep. Some of the children had nightmares, other thought when they woke up they would find it was all a nightmare. Isaac didn't know what to think, his mind was just a haze of fatigue before he fell asleep.

"Rise and shine, trainees!" Briggs shouted, his deep voice resonating throughout the room. Handlers ripped the cover off of the children, hitting those who didn't get up or dressed fast enough with a low-voltage taser.

At the foot of their beds was a small chest. When the trainees opened them up they found that the contents were a pair of grey sweatpants, a white shirt, boot, and a grey sweatshirt with a letter followed by a three-digit number. On Isaac's it read 'A-023'.

"Outside, trainees!" Briggs roared. The calm demeanour he had from last night was now gone. He was their Drill Sargent and by god he was going to make them despise him. Isaac flinched at the sound of his voice. The cheif bore holes into the little boy as he stood still while the rest made their way outside, "trainee twenty three, what are you waiting for? Christmas? Outside now!"

Isaac yelped then scrambled outside, feeling the intense heat of the Nevada desert. SCPO Briggs soon followed, taking great strides as he made his way to the front of the trainee group. "Get in rows of two, now!" he shouted.

The children got into rows of two in a line, wondering what was going on. Briggs turned his back to them, then began jogging. The trainees watched, confused, before joining him after the handlers tased them and barked at them to follow. They did.

They jogged one full lap around the base without a break to catch their breath. If one of them fell out of line, even for a second, a handler would descend on them they way an eagle descends on an unsuspecting hare. Isaac could feel his lungs burning, sweat soaking his clothes. He wanted to collapse, all of them did.

"Form five rows of fifteen, now!"

The childen, tired and overheated, slowly formed five sloppy lines of fifteen. The lines straightened themselves out after their handlers took a step forward. Briggs stood before them, not even sweating or panting from the run, "high knees!" he barked before his knees up to his chest one after the other.

Isaac and the other trainees copied him. The boy's lungs burned and his legs were weak and alight with pain. He wanted to rest, every muscle begged for him to rest. But he couldn't - unless he wanted zapped.

"Sit ups!"

The boy grunted as he landed on his backside in the dirt. While he was exhausted and sore, he was thankful that this exercise had him sitting down. Isaac mimicked the man, bringing his chest up to his knees over and over.

"Push ups!"

Isaac could feel his arms wobbling, threatening to collapse underneath him every time he brought himself closer to the ground. He was beyond exhausted and the searing heat didn't help one bit.

"Burpies!"

He couldn't handle it anymore and Isaac regurgitated whatever he had in his stomach, coughing and sputtering. His throat burned from the stomach acid and his mouth was full of the bitterness of bile. He yelped as he felt a jolt of electricity coarse through his side. Sniffling, he continued with the exercise.

"Alright, Trainees. Take a break," Briggs ordered. While the trainees were dripping with sweat - some covered in their own vomit too - he only had a forehead slightly glistening with sweat, which he promptly wiped away. "Lucky for you, it's a Saturday so that means no classes," he mused, "you're all dismissed for lunch."

Each trainee's ears pricked up. Lunch? _'Great! I'm starving!'_ Isaac cheered in his mind. Weakly, he got to his feet like the other trainees and made his way to the mess hall on weak, shaking legs.

The mess hall was like heaven. Any kind of food one could want for lunch was sitting there and waiting for you to take a bite out of it. Isaac took a hamburger, sitting at one of the tables.

Lenny sat beside him, having also chosen a hamburger for lunch. "I'm really sore, Isaac," he pouted.

"Me too, Lenny," Isaac mumbled, taking a bite out of meal. It was dry, bordering on being tasteless. It was better than nothing, he supposed. Both boys ate in silence, too tired to make conversation.

After fifteen minutes, Briggs walking into the mess hall, "fall out!" he roared. On his command, the trainees flooded out of the mess hall and they went for another run, stopping in front of what seemed to be an obstacle course - five identical ones actually. Complete with tyres, mud, ropes, and all sorts.

For a second time, they formed five rows of fifteen. Isaac stood in the first row sulked, believing he was going to have to endure more horrible exercises. "Listen up! This right here," Briggs gestured to the apparatus before them, "is an obstacle course designed around teamwork. The teams who win will get dinner; fried chicken and waffles, and ice cream and chocolate brownies for desert." he explained. Isaac's mouth watered at the thought.

"But for there to be winners, there must also be losers," the Chief added, "the team who loses - goes hungry," silence fell over the trainees, they couldn't bare the thought. "Trainees in the first row: you are team leaders. Everyone behind them in the next rows are you teammates," Briggs stated.

Isaac craned his head over his shoulders to see who was part of his team. Behind him was Lenny, who flashed him a grin. Peering over Lenny's shoulder was a girl with green eyes and shaved red hair. She seemed to be taller than both of them. He couldn't see who his other two teammates were, but he hoped they were good.

Briggs pointed at one of the team leaders, "trainee thirty, your team is now Oscar Squad."

He pointed to another team leader, "trainee twenty two; Kilo Squad."

Then another, "trainee four; X-Ray Squad."

 _'That's a cool name.'_ Isaac thought to himself with slight envy.

Another team leader, "trainee seventy two; Foxtrot Squad."

Briggs loomed over Isaac, "trainee twenty three; November Squad." he named the team. It was a cool name, though Isaac. Not as cool as X-Ray Squad, but it was still cool. "You've got ten minutes to get to know your teammates," the Chief stated.

November Squad gathered into a group. Aside from Isaac, Lenny, and the tall girl there was two others; a small, skinny girl with black shaved hair and blue eyes, and a boy with black shaved hair and brown eyes. On the tall girl's sweatshirt in black was R-064, G-002 on the small girl's, and S-054 on the boys.

Lenny introduced himself, "I'm Lenny,"

"Hi, I'm Isaac," the boy chimed in, giving his three teammates a small wave.

"My name's Cassie," replied the tall girl.

"Miguel's my name!" the other boy cried.

All four trainees turned to the last team member, who was chewing on her sleeve out of anxiety, "I-I'm Sheila..." she said quietly.

Cassie didn't seem impressed by the team, "you all better win," she huffed.

Isaac furrowed his brow. Of course they would win. His teacher always told him that if he put his mind to something then he could accomplish anything - so he put his mind to winning, already tasting the chocolate brownies for dessert. "We will!" he claimed.

Briggs suddenly began shouting and in response November Squad assembled with Isaac in front. He stared down the obstacle course, swallowing the lump in his throat. First up was tyres, wallowing in mud.

A sudden and loud 'bang!' ripped throughout the air, making the trainees yelp in surprise and fear. After the shock had passed, Isaac ran with his team in tow. They trudged through the muddy tyres, the mud making it difficult to lift their feet out. Miguel tumbling downwards, landing with a 'plop' in the mud. Lenny pulled him to his dirt-caked feet soon after.

November Squad struggled onwards, trudging through and overcoming obstacles in their wake. Their muscles ached and their lungs burned, yet they pressed on. If one of them fell or stumbled, they helped one another to their feet.

They were then faced with a basket, large enough to hold two people, suspended over a large puddle of mud and hanging along a rope with a metal pulley. "W-what do we do?" Sheila questioned, her voice low.

Isaac furrowed his brow - how do they get across? He looked to the other obstacles, hoping to see that one of the other teams had figured out a way and copy them. To his left he saw Foxtrot Squad squelching through the mud, a four year old trainee seventy two leading the way. He didn't see any other team that was as far ahead as Foxtrot was.

"we get across with the basket, duh," responded Cassie.

Cassie and Sheila then hopped into the basket, turning the handles on the pulley to move the basket along. Once on the other side, all members of the team realised something. "How do _we_ get across?" Lenny demanded.

"I know!" cried Miguel, "someone comes back and gets one of us!" he stated with a proud grin. Cassie came back, picking up Miguel, then Lenny, and lastly Isaac. Once they were all on the other side, they booked it to the finish line.

Briggs gave them an expression, impressed with their teamwork. "Good work, November Squad," he praised, "that's what I like to see."

Training continued, getting progressively harsher and more difficult as the trainees aged. Not only were they physically developing, but mentally too. Physics, chemistry, math, english, military tactics made up their curriculum. By the time the trainees were thirteen, twelve, or eleven, they had bodies of Olympic athletes and the minds of high school graduates. They coul disassemble and reassemble a variety of weapons, could easily take down their own handlers. They had been shaped into war machines.

Yet this was only phase one of The Hollywood Project.

 **...**

"Great StarClan..." Tawneypelt gasped, her eyes wide with horror. The sounds of nocturnal nature on ShadowClan territory barely registered to her senses. She was too busy staring at Shadepaw before her.

"Is your curiosity satisfied?" The apprentice spat, his expression sour. He had just returned from icing Mudclaw, and he was found by the warrior who demanded to know where he had been. Still recoiling from what Smokepaw had done to him, he accidentally showed her what he really was.

After an obligatory "what are you?" he told her everything while it remained unwelcomed and fresh in his mind. Maybe talking about it would relieve some of the tom's pain - though he doubted it.

A morbid curiosity gnawed at the ShadowClan warrior's mind. It couldn't just end there - there was more that needed to be said. "...W-what happened next?" she forced herself to ask.

Shadepaw's scowl faltered, cracking and showing grief he was attempting to mask. The black cat was acutely aware of it, turning his back to Tawnypelt. "It got worse," he said in a low, wavering voice, "it got so much worse."


	41. Chapter 41

**Nevada, USA - 2002**

Isaac never thought he would be in this room again. The last time he was in here was six years ago he believed. The stone 'seats' were just as uncomfortable as he remembered and the room was just a cold as he remembered. Like last time, all seventy five trainees were present. Though this time, they sat in their squads.

"What do you think this is about?" Sheila inquired.

Isaac turned to her and shrugged, "I don't know," he answered. He could she that she wasn't satisfied with the answer, sighing as she brought her knees up to her chest. In truth, he wouldn't be happy with that answer either.

He turned to Miguel on his left, "what do you think it is?"

"I dunno, hombre." responded Miguel, "I think something's about to go down," he added.

Isaac nodded in agreement. The last time they had been here was when they had been inducted into The Hollywood Project. Were more people going to be inducted? He hoped not. The trainee could barely remember life outside the project - nobody deserved suffer that.

A lady, along with Chief Briggs, walked onto the stone platform all the stone 'seats' faced. The woman's body language show that she was uncomfortable, whether it was because she was in this room again or for another reason was only known by her.

Isaac recognised her from that night and from seeing her around. Her name was Dr. Carter, he believed. Whatever conversation the trainees were having died as the doctor cleared her throat.

"Good morning, trainees." greeted the doctor. She took a deep breath, "since your induction seven years ago, you have all prevent to be everything we had hoped and more." she praised.

It was scary, actually. Some of the trainees had killed their handlers by accident during sparring matches and trainee seventy one had escaped three years ago and was never found.

"Acceptable losses." the Spooks had said, "the Project is outperforming expectations." was how they justified it. They had given the Project more funding, allowing for a third phase to come to fruition dubbed 'Action'. Those losses weren't acceptable to her.

Originally, there had only been two phases; the first one had been dubbed 'Lights' which consisted of training them, moulding them into the best soldiers the U.S. Military had ever seen. The second phase, 'Camera', planned to bring their meta gene out before it naturally surfaced.

Though there were some risks. Risks she planned to make the trainees aware of.

"Today, you begin the second phase." Dr. Carter stated. "Your meta gene will be actived," she spoke, her voice clear and resonating throughout the room.

Isaac's eyes widened. He heard Miguel mutter something in Spanish at his side and he heard Sheila gasp. They were all metahumans? Suddenly, the question of why they were all here at Area 52 made sense.

The doctor continued, "unfortunately, not all of you will make it." she grimaced. "The surgery you will undergo is risky." Dr. Carter warned.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. The trainee hoped that all of his team would make it through fine. Isaac couldn't bare the thought of loosing any of them. He gave Sheila a side glance, especially her.

"Good luck." wished Dr. Carter.

"November Squad!" barked Briggs.

The squad stood to attention.

"Fall out!"

November Squad was instructed to enter the barber's room, having their heads completely shaved. They were then lead back into the stone room, entering a hallway at the side of the platform.

At the end of the hall, was a pristine medical bay. The floor, walls, and ceiling were a pure white. It made Isaac feel like he covered in dirt, grime, and filth just standing in the room, like he was tainted. Doctors wore a full white hazmat suit, their faces obscured by gas masks.

In the room were five operating tables, each surrounded by equipment such as; heart monitors, tools, defibrillators, etc. Isaac felt uncomfortable just looking at it. This was going to be an extensive surgery.

They were ordered to strip and put on hospital gowns, which they did. None of them felt embarrassed being in their most vulnerable state. After all, they all went to bed together and used the same showers.

The Squad lay down on their operating tables. A doctor approached Isaac, inserting a needle into his arm and injected the contents into his bloodstream. "Oh, that wasn't too bad," Miguel chuckled.

"That was anesthetic." A doctor spoke.

The doctors injected them a second time, putting them under. They then went to work. Dr. Carter and Chief Briggs watched overhead in a secure room, built to withstand anything just shy of a nuclear bomb.

"I thought you said it was just an injection they were getting," leered Briggs, watching as the doctors began operating on the trainees. They marked their bodies, places they were going to open up.

"It's multiple injections, Briggs." Dr. Crater corrected, "one injection needs to be inserted directly into bone marrow to work properly," she explained, "it will make their bones twice as strong," she added, "it's the safest injection, which is why it's being done first,"

"What's the next injection?" the Chief questioned. He watched as the doctor's stitch the open flesh closed, having injected the drug everywhere they needed to.

"Not an injection - an implant." She corrected a second time. The doctor watched as they cut open a small portion of the Squad's temple before inserting a small item inside. It was what is known as a Disabler. Its purpose was to suppress the meta gene should the trainees go AWOL.

After closing the cut, the doctors took a second needle and injected it into the necks of the trainees. Once each trainee that its contents flowing through them, every doctor swiftly backed away as far as they could.

The trainees, despite being unconscious, began twisting and writing in their restraints, their faces contorted in expressions of pure agony. Miguel began howling in pain, thrashing harder than his teammates.

Briggs watched in horror, "what the hell is going on down there?!" he demanded, glaring daggers at the woman at his side.

Dr. Carter remained calm, "it's just their meta genes being activated prematurely." she explained, "it's a...violent reaction, we've found. You're welcome to leave, Briggs," she offered softly.

He turned his attention back to November Squad, seeing that Miguel was now still with a blank expression on his face. Doctors rushed over to him, taking the defibrillator to attempt to restart his heart. Briggs wordlessly left the room, he had seen enough.

She watched as he left, pity for him filling her. Dr. Carter found it hard to watch herself, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. The trainees at least deserved to have her sit through the process. It was the least she could do.

The doctors lowered their heads, covered Miguel with a white sheet. He had passed away. His body was carted out, being prepared to be cremated. She watched as the remaining four continued writhing, now fully awake and without painkillers in their systems. _'Poor kids.'_ she grimaced.

Isaac couldn't even begin to describe the hellish pain he felt. His vision was blurred, his heart was pounding in his head and was threatening to burst. He wanted to die - the pain was too much. He tried begging one of the doctors to kill him but all that came out was incoherent mumbles. Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

Out. He wanted out. Every instinct he had was screaming for him to get off the operating table and make the torture stop. Isaac wasn't aware, but his shadow was growing in size and shrinking. A solid black trendril rose from the ground and cut through one of his restraints like a warn knife through butter.

Isaac began frantically undoing the restraint on his other arm. Out of the corner of his eye he could see one of the doctors approaching him before the phantom-like tendril pierced his shoulder, making him cry out in pain.

A second doctor sneaked up behind him, stabbing him with a needle in the bicep and injecting its contents inside him. A second shadow wrapped around his neck just before Isaac felt into unconsciousness a second time.

Dr. Carter sighed, watching as the trainee was whisked off to recover in a hospital bed and the two injured doctors were taken to get their wounds treated. The surgery was successful for trainee twenty three. She watched in uncomfortable silence as the remaining three trainees continued to writhe.

She sat in that room the whole day, watching as each team of trainees came in and underwent the surgery. Some took hours before their meta gene surfaced, some only took minutes.

Out of the seventy five trainees that underwent the surgery, only fifteen survived. Some died due to issues with their bones, though most died via cardiac arrest by the second injection.

The ashes of those who died were scattered to the wind. As far as the government was concerned, they never existed in the first place - and they were treated as such.

 **Baghdad, Iraq - 2009**

"How are we looking, Speedy?" Isaac inquired, leaning in his crotchety wooden chair. The room he was in was dim, damp, and run down. The dry and unforgiving climate of Iraq made it one of the best places to be despite its rancid appearance.

The rest of November Squad did their own thing. Cassie sat on a wooden crate along with Lenny, playing a game of cards. Sheila sat on a chair across from himself, scribbling in an old and worn notepad.

Sean "Speedy" B-055 had replaced Miguel after his death. Speedy was currently a block away, laying on his belly on some rooftop. "Can't see the target, but I got a feeling that he's definitely there," he responded.

The target was an Iraqi insurgent named Abdul Rahal. He had been responsible for numerous bombings since Sadam had been overthrown in 2003 and was responsible for dozens of military and civilian casualties.

So November Squad had been sent in after his current base of operations had been located. A wetworks mission. Their attire reflected it; grey combat fatigues, bulletproof vests, and gloves. Cassie and Speedy wore balaclavas, both had a skull face. Though they wore it for different reasons; Cassie for intimidation purposes, and Speedy because "it looks cool."

"Did you hear about the Icon Suit?" Lenny suddenly spoke.

Hours passed and day turned to night. They had all taken turns watching the worn down warehouse across the street, where Abdul had been located. But not a single one of them saw anything suspicious. No one entered or exited the building. Nobody (except them) was loitering close by the building.

"Okay, get ready folks." Isaac stated, "we're going in,". His gut was telling him that something was more than just suspicious. But everything would be fine - they were metahumans.

November Squad got their gear ready, preparing for the grizzly mission. Suddenly, a blur burst into their room and in response each member of the team levelled their guns. Cassie's skin had darkened too, making it look something akin to pencil lead.

"Check your fire!" the blue yelped as it came to a stop, revealing itself to actually be Speedy, his hands raised in surrender.

Isaac lowered his gun, sighing in irritation. "What have you been told about doing that?"

Speedy responded, "how else am I supposed to get there when I'm a block away?"

"Fair point." Lenny chimed in.

They made their way to the ground floor and exited the building. November Squad stuck to the shadows, slinking towards the building until they were pressed against it. Isaac turned to Sheila and nodded. She knew what to do.

Sheila responded by phasing her head through the wall, almost like she was a ghost. Isaac could hear the rattling of chains as Cassie inspected the metal door that would grant them access to the warehouse. Something didn't seem right to him.

Sheila brought her head out from the wall, giving them the all clear. He then turned his head to Lenny, looking at him expectantly. Lenny had developed a sixth sense, extrasensory perception is what Dr. Carter had called it, which was invaluable during missions. Though Lenny had always explained it as "just knowing things."

"The target's inside. But I don't know where," responded Lenny.

"Stay frosty, November." Isaac muttered as a shadow cut through the chains on the door, making them fall into the dust with a soft thud and a rattle. He lifted the door up with one hand, keeping his gun trained on the room as he raised it up.

November Squad entered the warehouse, finding that it was like the build across from it; dingy and rundown. Inside it was almost pitch black, making Isaac completely useless. His shadows needed a source of light to appear. Otherwise, he was just like a regular human.

They all entered the building, walking slowly and cautiously with deliberate movements. There was no sign of Abdul being here. Absolutely nothing. Yet they pressed on. Instinctively, they split into two small groups; Cassie, Lenny, and Speedy in one group. Isaac and Sheila in the other.

Isaac wouldn't lie, he almost felt safer with Sheila at his side. He was powerless here without any light. Neither of them said a word. The silence was interrupted by a deafening explosion that shook the shoddy building to its foundations.

Both of them were flung forwards, grunting as they tumbled. Isaac could smell smoke in his nostrils, almost suffocating him. He looked up, seeing there was a massive hole in the wall of the building and that Lenny and Speedy had also been flung in different directions. What was left of them anyways.

He could make out a figure in the smoke. Hoping it was Cassie, he called out her name. But she didn't responded. It wasn't her. Now with light in the room, a shadow tendril wrapped itself around the gun closest to Isaac and placed it in his hands. He fired it off into the smoke.

Isaac felt both physically and mentally numb. Three members of his team gone in the blink of an eye. He wanted to mourn his fallen friends, but he would have to do it later, when he had peace of mind.

His target dived for the ground, gaining cover behind a fallen shelf. He kept firing, replacing the clip of the gun after it ran out of bullets. Isaac didn't notice the piece of rubble that was thrown at his feet. He was too focused on ending the man who killed half of his team.

Isaac's aim was suddenly thrown off as he staggered, eventually falling down. He looked up to see that Sheila had shoved him before suddenly disappearing in a flash followed by a shockwave and an ear-splitting 'bang!'

He just lay there, watching with wide eyes as the remains of Sheila crumpled on the other side of the room. The sound of boots crunching on rubbble filled his ears, but he didn't pay attention. A boot suddenly slammed into his face.

"( _This_ is what those American dogs send after me?)" Abdul mocked. He continued stomping on Isaac who didn't even attempt to defend himself. "(How does it feel to be under the heel of a greater man?!)"

Isaac's shock soon wore off. Growling, and with tears in his eyes, he grabbed the incoming boot with his hand. He ignored the stinging of his eyes, blood and dirt having mixed with his tears. He threw him off.

Abdul stumbled back, "(now you choose to fight back, eh?)" he taunted, "(perhaps you won't fall as easily as the others.)"

He couldn't remember what happened next, all of it was a blur. All Isaac remembered was being drenched in blood and exiting the building through the hole Abdul had made. He deserted his post. He couldn't remember fully how he made his way back to the U.S.A - he remembered it differently sometimes.

But it didn't matter to him. He had lost everything he held dear in a matter of minutes because he underestimated his target. Area 52 never came looking for him, they presumed him dead.

For years, he slept on the streets. Isaac didn't know the first thing about the outside world, all he knew was what he was told. He couldn't work because he never technically existed and he had no money, so he had to live off of scraps he found in the garbage.

Isaac lay in some grubby alleyway, just staring at the ground. Any chance at a proper life had been wrongfully taken from him when he was six. He didn't see a reason to go on living. He was a miserable man who was kept from the world.

 _'Tomorrow.'_ Isaac told himself mentally, laying on the ground, _'I'll see them all again tomorrow.'_

He had dream about a brown tabby cat. One with eyes like spotlights. It couldn't speak to him, yet he somehow knew it wanted something from him. It wanted his help and all he needed to do was kill four metahumans. In return, it was would give him what he wanted.

A chance to live the life that was taken from him.

Isaac did what he was told; like a good soldier.

 **...**

Shadepaw ignored Tawnypelt's shocked expression, "I had everything taken from me. _Twice_." he spat, "and you think I'd refuse the offer to get it all back?"

The tawny she-cat asked him a question, "why tell me?"

"Why?" the tom repeated, "because I'm tired to you all looking at me and seeing this...this _thing_." he hissed. Shadepaw lowed his head, "I'm just someone who wants to be normal - just like you."


	42. Chapter 42

"How long do you think they're going to take?" Squirrelflight asked impatiently.

Sparkclaw shrugged, "I dunno,"

The two cats sat in a clearing on ThunderClan territory, waiting for the other members of their party to arrive. Until then, they would remain in an impatient silence only broken every once in a while by their complaining.

They were waiting on Sunblaze and Leafpool, the two lovebirds. This whole arrangement was their idea, "a double date" is what the golden tom claimed, a dopey smile on his muzzle. The brown tabby would have declined if the ginger she-cat hadn't be persistent and eventually won him over.

Now it looked like they were being stood up.

"Looks like it's just us two." sighed Sparkclaw, "I fuckin' hate when peo-cats. Yeah, cats, wanna do something but then they're no-shows," the tom fumed.

"Yeah, but remember it's pretty difficult for Leafpool to get away from Cinderpelt," Squirrelflight pointed out. Her sister had always been less social due to her demanding responsibilities as a medicine cat, on top of having a relationship she really shouldn't have according to the warrior code - which her mentor seemed to be suspicious of. It wouldn't be a surprise if she wasn't able to get out of the medicine den.

"I guess." her mate agreed, calming down a little, "y'know it's probably real difficult for those two to be an item," he commented.

Squirrelflight nodded her head in agreement, "good thing we don't have that problem." she meowed. Good thing Sparkclaw joined ThunderClan when he did - it made their relationship so much easier. The ginger she-cat scooted closer to her mate, pressing against him, "and speaking of us..." she drifted off.

The tom's ears pricked up, "you had something in mind?" he inquired.

The warrior nodded, "yeah. Let's go hunting," she offered.

Sparkclaw looked up to the sky, seeing that the sun was beginning to set and the sky becoming a myriad of colours. How long had they been waiting for now? An hour, an hour and a half? However long the time frame was, he was done waiting.

So now it was just the two of them and that's how the brown tabby wanted it. Him, his mate, and the whole territory for them to run wild in. While it wasn't exactly what he had in mind, this arrangement was just fine. Sparkclaw smiled, "let's go, sugar."

Squirrelflight smiled in return, bounding off further into ThunderClan territory. The tom followed after her, keeping pace with the ginger she-cat. She suddenly stopped, breathing in the scents of the forest.

"What's up? Smell somethin'?" inquired Sparkclaw. Truth be told, he didn't know how the Clans made hunting look so easy while he had to wrestle whatever he caught until his prey was too exhausted to continue fighting.

"Quiet," Squirrelflight hushed, her own voice lowered.

"Sure but have you got anything?" the tom questioned. Watching as his mate silently lowered herself into a hunter's crouch.

"Yes, now shush!" the she-cat hissed impatiently. The ginger cat wasted no time in leaping towards her prey, pinning a mouse underneath her paws. Squirrelflight snuffed its life out with a quick nip to the neck.

"nice catch," praised Sparkclaw.

Squirrelflight purred, "aww, thanks," she said, giving him a lick on the cheek. "How about you try to catch something?" the she-cat suggested.

The tom frowned, _'aw shit.'_ he mentally groaned. His mate didn't have a clue at how inept he was at hunting. Though Sparkclaw's pride would prevent him from ever letting her know the extent of it. "Sure," he responded, grimacing slightly.

The brown tabby sniffed the air, hoping to catch a whiff of a mouse or a bird or something. Sparkclaw couldn't sniff a thing, so he decided to move location with his mate on his heels. He had to find something - his pride was on the line! The tom eventually caught the scent of...something. He wasn't sure what.

He decided not to ask Squirrelflight what the scent belonged to out of embarrassment. The tom should know all this already! That's what he gets for only half-listening to Blackstar, he mused. He was too fixated on the fact the ShadowClan leader had six toes on one foot. Sparkclaw pushed the thought out of his head, _'focus!'_ he hissed in his mind. Soon, a mouse scuttled its way from out a bush, blissfully unaware of the mortal danger it was in.

Sparkclaw got low to the ground in a hunter's crouch, trying to ignore the ticklish sensation of the grass brushing against his belly. The tom bunched his muscles up and pounced, pinning the rodent under his paws. _'Piece a' cake.'_ the tom thought with a smirk of triumph.

That smirk soon faded as the mouse escaped his grasp. "Motherfucker!" he spat, failing to pin the mouse under his paws. He hissed, chasing after the rodent. The sound of Squirrelflight's laughter grew quieter and quieter as he chased his prey.

The tom spat curses at the rodent, continuously failing to capture it before it ran off. He growled, letting his claws sink into the dirt. His anger vanished as his mate caught up with him, giggling to herself. "It's alright," she reassured him with a lick on the cheek, "you'll get it next time - you might even keep it pinned!" Squirrelflight added with a 'mrow' of laughter at the end.

"What're you talking about? I let it go," Sparkclaw responded, giving his mate a lick on the head. It was a strange feeling, to say the least. The ginger she-cat's fur and skin were soft. His tongue felt like a natural hairbrush more than anything.

It was peculiar to do - too bad there was nothing else to show affection that was on par with licking. But if it made Squirrelflight happy then he'd stick to it. As if on que she purred lowly.

The she-cat pulled away, "let's get back to hunting, sparky," she smiled.

"Sure." responded Sparkclaw.

The two continued their trek, but soon forgot about finding prey and went to play fighting. The two cats tumbled in the grass, laughing and giggling as they batted at one another and chased each other.

Squirrelflight bowled over Sparkclaw, both laughing happily as they put their heads together. "I love you," said Squirrelflight, having calmed down.

"I love you too." responded Sparkclaw, a grin plastered to his muzzle.

 **...**

Smokefoot lay on the ground, looking up at the silver moon. It was a nice night out, with millions of stars glittering in the dark night sky. A calm and cool breeze floated by every once and a while as he bathed in the silver light of the moon.

He was so thankful he could enjoy it with Nightcloud at his side, pressing against him and mingling their pelts together. She had her head resting in the crane of his neck, purring to herself.

"It's gorgeous," the she-cat purred, looking up at silverpelt. It was so strange to think that something of such beauty was just up above.

Smokefoot nodded in agreement, "it is," he meowed. The grey tom gave the she-cat a lick on the top of her head. The whole arrangement was her idea. Nightcloud had approached him, shyly, earlier that day and asked him if he wanted to go out into the territory at night.

The WindClan warrior quickly figured out that she was asking for a date. Deciding it would do him no harm, he agreed. The tom doesn't think he's seen a girl/she-cat more happy in his life. She must really like him, he mused.

"I didn't think you would come out there with me, Smokefoot." Nightcloud confessed. The she-cat looked up at the tom, giving him a smile, "but I'm glad you did," she purred.

He gave Nightcloud another quick lick on the head, "me too," he responded. Smokefoot felt thankful that she had asked him. The grey cat needed to be occupied with something, anything to take his mind of his eye and Shade. Crowclaw had the same issue, though he had Feathertail to take his mind off it as Smokefoot had found out.

"You know." Nightcloud started, looking up at the tom. "Before I met you, I just kept to myself." she meowed,"but I think I've came out of my shell after talking to you,"

"I just solve all your problems, don't I?" Smokefoot replied, smiling. That explained why the she-cat had been reserved up until he had to leave for the journey.

"You do," responded Nightcloud. She gave the tom a lick on the cheek and nuzzling underneath his chin, making him purr. "I've never heard you purr before," the she-cat giggled.

The grey tom's brow furrowed in thought. She was right, he hadn't purred once since he got here. Though it wasn't like he had a reason too, until he met Nightcloud. The black she-cat made him feel good in ways Feathertail never did. Despite his admittedly moody attitude, she made him feel like he was actually interesting. Despite the flaws in his facial features - some more noticeable than others - she made him feel attractive. He felt important to someone.

She loved him, it seemed. He was beginning to think the feeling was mutual.

"There's a first time for everything," Smokefoot meowed.

"True." Nightcloud sighed wistfully, "true." she turned her attention back towards the stars and the moon. A part of her wondered if her ancestors approved of Smokefoot, with him being a rouge from a far off place and all. But the moon wasn't covered - seems like they were alright with it.

She smiled, leaning closer to Smokefoot and closed her eyes. This was just perfect.


	43. Chapter 43

Bored.

That's all Sunblaze could think about how bored he was. One would think after becoming a warrior, boredom would become an alien feeling only experienced once in a blue moon. After all; there were borders to mark; patrols to join; prey to catch; and apprentices to train. All of that would make for a busy day.

Except the reality was that very few warriors were that busy. Most warriors hunted or went on patrols at the crack of dawn or twilight unless they had an apprentice. Sunblaze was too young to take on an apprentice and he had more than his fair share of hunting - he could tell the trees apart from one another by taking a quick glance.

The warrior sighed in defeat, rolling over onto his back to stare at the leafy ceiling of the warrior's den from the comfort of his nest. He supposed he could join Sparkclaw in whatever activity he was doing, but odds are Squirrelflight was with him. It wasn't that he disliked the ginger cat - he didn't want to be the third wheel and sit awkwardly as they flirted with one another.

Sunblaze gave a short, low chuckle. Now he knew how the brown tabby felt when he was with himself and Leafpool back at Sunningrocks - that must have been awkward. The tom suddenly felt a sense of longing fill him, turning his slight smile to a frown. He wanted to see her again; to breathe in her scent; to feel her pelt.

 _'Oh, listen to yourself!'_ he scorned mentally, _'she's banned from being alone with you, not bloody exiled!'_ the tom reminded himself harshly. What should have been a fun night out with Sparkclaw and Squirrelflight had been ruined after Cinderpelt had tightened her grip on her apprentice after her suspicion overpowered her trust in her fellow medicine cat. Now she was forbidden from interacting with him.

A strong sense of injustice gripped Sunblaze. Why couldn't she see him? Why were medicine cats unable to have mates? He let out an irritated groan, rolling over his nest to face the world outside of the den's entrance. The tom could see Leafpool exiting the camp through its entrance, accompanied by Cloudtail.

Sunblaze wanted nothing more than to get away from the prying eyes of ThunderClan, even if it was for only a while. Just for a day, a day where Leafpool and himself could do whatever they wanted to without fear of apprehension.

A smile crept onto the tom's face. That desire gave him an idea.

 **...**

Days past and Leafpool had suddenly gone missing. As patrols searched for her but returned without results concern rippled throughout ThunderClan. Outside of the she-cat's family and her mentor, Sunblaze had been racked with both grief and concern unlike anything he ever felt before.

As Sparkclaw nosed through the fresh-kill pile, mildly disturbed that he was shifting through a pile of dead rodents and birds, he thought of the tabby she-cat. The tom would consider himself someone who never truly worried no matter the situation. Yet he had worst case scenarios running through his mind. Currently, he was wondering how likely is was that Leafpool was lying dead on the side of a road, flys circling around her lifeless body.

The tabby tom couldn't even begin to imagine what must be running through Squirrelflight or Sunblaze's minds. Both of them were extremely close to her in different ways. He had been comforting his mate whenever he was with her but Sunblaze had been keeping to himself, hardly speaking to anyone and staying in the warrior's den. Sparkclaw had tried to talk to him, but it seemed he wanted to be alone.

Ashfur suddenly shoved by Sparkclaw, picking out a squirrel and leaving. "Hey, jackass!" hissed the warrior with a glare, but his words fell on deaf ears as the grey dappled cat ignored him. "That's right. Keep walkin'," Sparkclaw snorted. He had no idea what Ashfur's problem with him was, maybe he was just an ass.

The tom stepped away from the fresh-kill pile, deciding that he was no longer hungry. He spotted Sunblaze padding out of the warrior's den, sulking. Sparkclaw approached him, "hey, buddy," he greeted, his voice taking a softer tone. It was rare for him to speak in a such a way.

The golden tom looked up at him, despite his apparent sadness his blue eyes didn't show it. This immediately filled Sparkclaw with skeptisim. He should be sad, worried, angry, he should be feeling something - anything! No matter how good or convincing someone could act, their eyes would always tell the truth.

Still, he would humour him. Perhaps the missing cat was, indeed, safe and Sunblaze knew where she was. Maybe the tom had been a psychopath feigning emotion all this time and never cared for the she-cat. But that sounded extremely far-fetched.

"Did they find Leafpool yet?" the younger tom inquired, his voice low with a tone of defeat.

The older tom shook his head, "no. But us two could go look for her," he offered.

Sunblaze gave a small smile, "I'd like that," he replied.

The two toms scoured the territory, searching high and low. Yet they found nothing. Sparkclaw sat in a human-like position, his back against the trunk of a tree. His eyes were fixed on the golden tom, still searching for Leafpool in the area they were in.

"You know where she is, don't you?" the older warrior accused. He had seen the lack of sadness and the lack of grief in the younger of the two's eyes. Sunblaze didn't seem to care, no matter how convincing or carefully constructed his acting attempted to convey otherwise. Eyes were called the window to the soul for a reason.

The other tom tensed, dropping his act. "How did you know?" he groaned, "I thought I was good!" he exclaimed, facing Sparkclaw.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Sparkclaw hissed, "why didn't you tell me or Squirrelflight?!" he demanded with a snarl, his face inches away from Sunblaze's own. This caused the younger tom to shrink. The older of the two felt hurt, betrayed even. Why wasn't he in on this plan of theirs?

The younger warrior glared, standing at his full height "because it's _our_ business - not yours." he responded, "we wanted to spend some time alone together without having to do it behind everyone's back, so we decided we'd run away for a few days. We never told anyone so it was believable and nobody was suspicious!" he cried.

"You got the whole Clan worried sick, asshole! - fuck that, you got me worried sick! You got Squirrelflight worried sick!" bristled Sparkclaw. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, how could those two be so selfish? Why didn't they trust them enough to tell them? He couldn't wrap his head around it.

Sunblaze growled, "how about you back off?" he could feel his body heating up, especially in his paws. Sparkclaw wasn't his dad, he didn't need to know every little detail of every thought that the tom was thinking. He didn't have to know absolutely everything he did. Part of him wanted to knock his friend down a few pegs and teach him some humility.

"Evan, we've been through thick n' thin together." responded the brown tabby, his voice low and dripping with his outrage and anger, "but don't think that means I won't kick your goddamn teeth in," energy was flowing through his veins now. He never thought he would be in a such a serious argument, one bordering on becoming a fight. Sparkclaw thought he had left such a situation back in Detroit. But it seemed to have followed him to his new home.

They both sized one another up, one waiting for the other to make the first move, but the younger cat turned away, "just tell the Clan I went to look for her, alright?" he muttered, sounding drained of emotion as left behind the older tom.

Sparkclaw watched him go, making no attempt to stop him. Part of him was tempted to run back and expose Sunblaze and Leafpool, to get even with them for betraying his trust. But he wasn't a snitch, so he'd keep it between him and Squirrelflight. If anyone deserved to know, it was her.

When the tom reentered camp, looking for his mate. He saw her, talking with Whitewing. "Sorry, Whitewing. Gonna have to steal my mate from ya," he stated, pulling the ginger she-cat aside.

"What's the matter?" asked Squirrelflight in a hushed tone. Hearing her mate's urgent, angry tone and his expression told her that it wasn't good. She had never heard him speak in such a way before.

Sparkclaw inhaled through his nose, trying to keep himself reasonably calm. "Sunblaze knows where you're sister is, but she wasn't missing they both decided to run away-"

"What?!" the ginger she-cat yowled, her pelt bristling.

"Ssshh!" the tom hushed, then checking to see if any cats were looking at them. Some were, but most had already turned away. "They wanted time to themselves without having to be secret or whatever," he spoke. Now that his head was a little clearer, he could see why they did what they did. Their relationship wasn't like his and Squirrelflight's, but he still couldn't understand why they never told them at least of their plans.

"Why didn't they tell us?" the she-cat demanded, her voice low. She had known about the relationship of the two cats and that they met in secret, but she had never been made privy to this. Like her mate, hurt made her heart twist. Leafpool was her sister, didn't she trust her?

Sparkclaw shrugged, "I don't know, ask them!" he responded.

A sigh of frustration escaped the ginger cat's lips. She leaned in to her mate, breathing in his scent. It calmed her, "I like I need some rest," Squirrelflight murmured.

"Me too, honey."

 **...**

Sparkclaw jolted awake, the sound of pandemonium filling his ears. The yelling and yowling of cats sounded out, he could hear the the phrase higher ground and word nursery being repeated. If that wasn't enough to make him wide awake, the feeling of hot breath on his skin and an awful stench did.

The tom's blue eyes snapped open and he was greeted with a black and white, dog-like snout in his face complimented by a maw full of canine-like teeth. "Holy-" he jumped back as the maw snapped shut where his neck would have been. He wanted to know what the hell was going on, but he didn't have time to think only to act.

He gathered his senses and pulled himself together, energy crackling in his veins. The badger brought its massive paw towards him in a sweeping motion, sending him tumbling. Sparkclaw cried out in pain as five gashes opened up on his side. With gritted teeth, he fired off a blue blot striking the beast in its eye which sent it stumbling back, roaring in agony at the white hot pain it was experiencing. In response, the tom scrambled over and sliced its throat open. The badger crumpled to the ground - lifeless.

The warrior stood, panting as crimson blood pooled on the ground from the badger's neck. He looked at his own paw, shivering. He had never killed anything sentient before. Midnight had shown him there was only a language barrier. Sparkclaw had just taken someone's life, as that fact sank in adrenaline pumped throughout his being. He hadn't even thought twice about it.

That disturbed him. But at the same time it granted him morbid comfort, he had the strength to get revenge on Shadepaw. He never forgot his promise to him.

"It's survival of the fittest." he told himself, "it was either it or you."

Sparkclaw pushed down his emotions, stuffing them into a dark corner of his mind. He scanned the camp frantically for Squirrelflight, his heart and mind racing. Was she safe? Was she in trouble? Was she hurt? He began imagining horrid scenes before he saw the ginger she-cat, accompanied by Brambleclaw, Cloudtail, and Brightheart. They were carrying kits in their maw, escorting the queens safely out of camp.

Relief swept through him like a tide. _'Oh thank God, she's okay.'_ he thought to himself. Sparkclaw was snapped out of his musings as the sound of a bloodcurdling yowl filled his ears. He turned in the direction of the awful noise, finding Sootfur pinned by a badger with its teeth barely ripping out his throat.

The tabby tom pounced onto the beast's back, sending volts of electricity through it by way of his claws. The light grey tom underneath scrambled away, hyperventilating. The badger threw the cat off of his back, making him hiss in pain as he landed on the ground. This would be so much easier if he didn't need to worry about accidentally frying a ThunderClan cat. Even then, he wasn't sure if the electricity in the badger would pass into a cat trying to help him take it down.

On top of that, he had to make sure nobody saw it. Only God knows what would happen then.

Sootfur came to his rescue, swiping at its face and sending it retreating. "Should've killed it," grunted Sparkclaw, getting to his paws. His wounds flared up, causing his face to twist in pain.

"Maybe," responded Sootfur, "but we need to make an example, don't we?" he smiled.

Another cat interject, "that's a little harsh, don't you think?"

The tabby's expression soured, "what the fuck are you back for?" he spat. His tail lashed, part of him wanted to claw Sunblaze's face until all his fur was gone.

"Where'd you go?" Sootfur inquired.

Sunblaze ignored Sparkclaw's comment, "I went looking for Leafpool, and I found her," he smiled, feeling small pangs of guilt inside him as he told a little white lie.

"Yeah that's great. Make yourself useful and help," the older tom snorted.

"Can you not be a dick?" glared Sunblaze.

Sparkclaw growled, wanting to tear the younger tom to shreds. But he was stopped by Sootfur, "you two can fight later." he meowed, an edge in his tone, "defend the camp first."

All three warriors barrelled into a close by badger at once, causing it to stumble. It roared, barely missing the golden tom with its massive paw. Unlike Sparkclaw, he didn't have to worry about accidentally harming one of his own. He raked his claws, smouldering with heat, down the badger's side in retaliation both creating and cauterising wounds. The beast roared as a white hot pain flared up form its side. It scurried away clumsily soon thereafter.

The three toms stuck together, going against the badgers with their combined strength. Even then, they were still thrown around, battered and beaten and exhausted. With aching muscles and fresh wounds, they stood victorious along with the rest of ThunderClan after what seemed like hours of fighting for survival.

"Is...is it over?" panted Sunblaze, steadying himself.

"I think so," muttered Sootfur.

The three toms collapsed, leaning against one another. They were all exhausted and beaten, but victorious. That was all that mattered. Everyone was safe and still breathing. Their silent celebration was interrupted by a caterwauling of loss, pain and sorrow that erupted from the nursery.

"L-Leafpool?" cried Sunblaze, staggering towards the entrance of the nursery. Inside he found his mate, nosing the bloodied corpses of Cinderpelt and a badger. He gasped, approaching the tabby she-cat and whispered words of reassurance in her ear. It was the least he could do as she leaned into him, sobbing.

Leafpool took in a deep, shaky breath, "I-I need to help Sorreltail." she said, pulling away to help the queen give birth. Sunblaze, wide-eyed, looked from the deceased Cinderpelt to the queen in labour. He lowered his head, out of both grief and respect. The medicine cat had died defending a pregnant cat despite having little training.

A true warrior was what Cinderpelt was - through and through.

Sunblaze felt helpless. He had a dream the night before where the badger he and the others had met on the journey, Midnight, had warned him of events to come. The shadow of death, she had called it, had claimed her. An apathetic shroud that gave her no time to react before it had slain her, almost like it was its job to do so. Now it was coming for him and the others. He didn't have a doubt in his mind that it was Shadepaw.

He couldn't stop him, Midnight said. All he could do was prey the darkness and the blackness didn't swallow him whole.


	44. Chapter 44

Sunblaze jolted awake, his face in the cold and damp dirt. He scrambled to his paws, sputtering, coughing, and spitting out the grimy taste of dirt from his mouth. The tom looked around frantically, his blue eyes taking in his surroundings. Where was he? It certainly wasn't the warrior's den - neither was it ThunderClan territory. All around him were gnarled and twisted trees reaching up to the sky above, snuffing out all light that made any attempt to break through to the forrest floor. Some of the trees were bone white, others were ash grey, others were dull shades of brown. It was almost pitch black, even with the night vision being a cat brought he could hardly see two feet in front of him.

Sunblaze couldn't feel it, but he knew wherever he was was unnaturally frigid. His hot breath mixing with the freezing air caused steam to appear. For a third time, he was glad his body temperature was well above normal, which allowed him to endure harsh climates such as this. He frowned, struggling to ignore the growing feelings of anxiety and unease brewing in his gut. The tom need to get out of this dark forest and look for higher ground to survey his surroundings and figure out what the hell he was to do.

"Welcome, Sunblaze." a deep voice rumbled from behind him. The ThunderClan warrior jumped, spinning around to face the owner of the voice. Standing there was a large, muscular cat. He had dark brown tabby fur, nicked with all sorts of scars in all sorts of places. The most startling thing about him were his eyes. His eyes were two mini amber suns. The cat's eyes reminded Sunblaze of the descriptions of the deadlights from _It_ by Stephen King. He tried to avoid looking at them in the event that they had the same effect as them. But he couldn't.

The warrior knew this cat, he had seen him before in that dream he had just before he set off for the journey. Tigerstar.

"Or do you prefer Evan Brown?" Tigerstar inquired, tilting his head in an inquisitive manner.

Sunblaze's eyes widened. How did he know? Only ThunderClan knew him by Evan before he joined, and the only other cats who knew his full name were his friends. Shade also knew somehow too. Perhaps he was connected to the ex-ShadowClan leader before him. Still, it made the wild storm of anxiety inside him intensify.

 _'I-it's all just a dream.'_ the golden tom told himself in his mind. It was all just a bad dream - how else was he to explain it? His heart was beating in his ear like someone beating frantically on a war drum. "H-h-how do you know that?" stammered Sunblaze.

Tigerstar replied, "I've been watching you for a while now. You've adjusted to Clan life very nicely." he praised. "But - this isn't home for you, is it?"

Sunblaze didn't respond, his face only twisting in distress. The tom before him was telling the truth. ThunderClan wasn't home for him - London was. He couldn't remember the layout of his own home. It was an apartment, but what floor was it on again? Fifth of sixth? How many couches did they have? Was it the kitchen door that squeaked or what it his room's door? He couldn't remember! Such a revelation caused grief to eat away at him. Everything was fuzzy.

"...I-it's not." the ThunderClan warrior choked quietly, "I w-want to go back to London,"

The ex-ShadowClan leader gave him a sympathetic look, "you can," he meowed. Sunblaze's ears perked and his breath hitched. Home seemed much closer than even now, he could see it now; returning home to a happy family and friends with joyful tears, going back to school - returning to living like a normal human again. "All you have to do is do what I ask you to," added the tom.

Sunblaze approached the tom but soon stopped in his tracks. He remembered how suddenly Brambleclaw became aggressive when he described the cat he saw in his dream before the journey, the wild fear in his amber eyes. The tom realised he couldn't trust this cat. He wasn't being truthful to him.

Something wasn't right. Wherever they were wasn't natural and neither was the cat before him. There was no animal he knew that had eyes like Tigerstar did. Where were they anyways? How did they get here? Sunblaze could feel his skin crawling.

Walking towards Tigerstar was walking into the jaws of death itself.

The golden tom shook his head, "I-I'm fine in ThunderClan, actually. But I appreciate the offer." he spoke. As much as it pained him to think that he was throwing away the slim, minuscule chance that he could return actually home, he had everything he needed in ThunderClan now. Friends, a roof over his head, food, and a loving mate; love which he returned wholeheartedly. He couldn't leave here. He had a life here. "I have everything I need,"

Tigerstar bristled, his features briefly contorting in outrage which he concealed promptly. "Are you sure? What about your family? Your friends? Your mate? Don't you miss any of them?!"

Sunblaze nodded, "of course I do. There's not a day that goes by where I don't think about them! I forget things, but it's only little things; my mum's name is Alice and my dad's John, she's a teacher at a uni - I can't remember which - and my dad's a joiner. My friend Mark's from Wales, but moved to London when we were eight, Euan's been playing guitar since he was ten, and George's is. . .well good at drawing for a lack of a better word." he meowed, nostalgia flowing through him. "But I started fresh here and now. . .I'm content with my life here," he responded.

The ex-ShadowClan leader's expression once again twisted in rage, "don't you want revenge for your murder? I can help you!" he cried, tinges of his fury seeping into his words.

The golden tom frowned, "honestly, I hate him - so, so much. But I don't care what he does so long as he leaves me and my friends alone." he responded, "but I'll fight if I have to."

Tigerstar leered, "then fight."

Sunblaze's eyes widened in response to a faint whistling sound, which grow more and more clearer by the second. He moved, stumbling to the side as a pitch-black tendril planted itself in the dirt where he once stood. The tom stared, his eyes wide with fear. _'H-He's here!"_ he yowled in his mind, full of distress.

"If you won't work with me, then you're useless to me." spat the ex-ShadowClan leader.

Out of the shadows stepped a tall, muscular tom. He had a black pelt which was decorated with a myriad of small scars. His green eyes were cold and focused - the eyes of a killer. They were fixed on the smaller, younger tom staring up at him in fear. "Long time no see, Evan." he spoke.

Sunblaze scrambles back, putting as much distance between himself and the murder as possible. "Nononononono..." he mumbled frantically. His heart felt like it was going to burst in his chest because of how unbelievably fast it was beating, the sound almost drowning anything else he could possibly hear.

But he felt something else stirring inside him forcing the worst of his fear to some dark corner of his psyche. He raised to his paws, a fire smouldering in his heart. Sunblaze now knew what that mystery feeling was; courage. The tom would no longer cower in front of his adversary. He was a warrior. It was time to start acting like one. He would avenge Midnight too.

The two cats stared one another down, shadows twisting and turning at Shadepaw's feet. Sunblaze's paws ignited, flames licking away at his forelegs yet they did not damage him or spread. But he remained weary, the black tom was no pushover. He had Tigerstar to deal with too. "Why'd you kill Midnight?" he demanded.

"It was just business." responded Shadepaw.

Suddenly, one of the shadows came shooting down. The ThunderClan warrior dodged, watching it cleave through the dirt like a warm knife through butter. A same one came again, this time swinging horizontally, which Sunblaze ducked under. However, it came an unexpected third time barrelling towards him, slicing his foreleg. The tom cried out in pain, blood dripping from the fresh wound.

The tendril came for him again, nicking the ThunderClan cat's cheek. _'Fuck!'_ the tom hissed in his mind, _'I have to get closer to do something!'_ if he didn't close the gap between the two of them, he would be dead soon. Shadepaw had the advantage at a distance.

But what about up close and personal?

Sunblaze ducked underneath the shadow, charging straight for the black tom before him. He swiped at the larger tom, scoring him across the cheek. While Shadepaw's cheek smouldered, he showed no signs of being affected by the pain. Then Sunblaze saw that where his paw landed was just shadow. In fact, most of his body was encased in shadow. Sunblaze's eyes widened in fear.

"Did you really think I would fight you without protection?" sneered Shadepaw. The ThunderClan tom didn't get a chance to respond, the tendril wrapping itself around his throat like a boa constrictor.

It tossed him up in the air then slammed him into the ground, "you should already know this, but burns are a bitch to deal with." spoke Shadepaw. Once again, Sunblaze was slammed into the ground, forcing the air out of his lungs. "So I had to think of something to make sure you couldn't lit me up like a Christmas tree,"

The tendril released the tom's neck, allowing him to gasp and cough for air. He struggled to his feet, shivering. Shadepaw's shadow retreated, covering the rest of his unprotected face. He was now completely encased in shadow, becoming a walking silhouette. "It's nothing personal, Evan. I'm only doing what I have to," the tom responded, his voice slightly muffled.

"Last chance to change your mind, Evan." spoke Tigerstar. "I didn't bring you here for no reason,"

Sunblaze retorted, "I'd tell you to go to hell if we weren't already here." he ducked as Shadepaw swiped at him. The tom moved back, hurling an orb of flames towards his adversary. It crashed against him, smouldering against his 'shadow-skin'.

"Not good enough," scorned the ShadowClan cat, unaffected by the flames. Another ball slammed into his right foreleg, while it wasn't harmed it was thrown off balance.

 _'Yes!'_ cheered Sunblaze. He planted both his front paws on the left side of Shadepaw's head, "then how about this?!" the tom toppled the other warrior to the ground by the head, putting as much force as he could possibly muster in the action. When Shadepaw's head impacted the ground a painful echo sounded out. The black cat lay there, unmoving.

The ThunderClan cat took several step back, his eyes wide and adrenaline pumping through his vein. He could see Tigerstar out of the corner of his eye, a shocked expression plastered on his face. "D-did. . .di-did I-"

Shadepaw began moving again, looking up at his opponent from his position. "-you've improved a lot since we first fought." he mewed, getting to his paws, "But you're not getting away easy,"

"How are you even standing!" demanded Sunblaze.

"That was barely a lovetap, Evan," Shadepaw responded.

He felt panic rush over him instantly. Could he even defeat Shadepaw? He wasn't sure anymore. Sunblaze thought that would have done enough to put him in the medicine den. Apparently not. "Y-you're lying!" he spat.

The ShadowClan warrior's head tilted slightly, "do you really think so?" the two of them remained silent. The golden tom struggled to keep himself from shaking. He didn't think he could win. No, he knew he couldn't win. "You've never killed anyone, have you?" Shadepaw suddenly asked.

"No, but what does that have to do with anything?" Sunblaze demanded.

"You're never going to get rid of me like that, Evan." Shadepaw mewed.

The spectating cat growled, "kill him already!" he yowled.

Wordlessly, the silhouette pounced for his opponent. He landed before him, swiping, but the other cat moved backwards and barely evaded his claws. Sunblaze slashed at his chest, he noticed that Shadepaw's shadowy shell sizzled ever so slightly in response, like water that was beginning to boil. The ShadowClan cat brought his paw down on Sunblaze's head, disorientating him. But he might have found something, if he could heat up his fire...

The ThunderClan warrior felt his paws heat up, teetering on becoming unbearably warm for him. He didn't know how hot it was exactly, but it should be enough to break through the shadow-skin. Sunblaze swiped at his opponent, watching his shell disintegrate at his touch.

Shadepaw backed away, hissing. Luckily for him, he hadn't been burned severely. Instead, his skin had only absorbed the heat which left it red and inflamed without blisters or boils. "Son of a-" he growled.

Sunblaze yowled "enough already! Just leave me alone and fuck off!"

The black cat didn't respond, only looking towards his opponent. "Lucky you, it looks like we're both about to wake up." he spoke. The other cat could feel it too, his grip on. . .wherever he was slipping.

Tigerstar chuckled darkly, "I'm afraid we can't do that, Evan." the world around the ThunderClan cat began to deteriorate away, almost like melting or decaying, and the voice of the brown tabby became more faint, "not until you and the others are crowfood. We're going to break you apart." he sneered, his voice growing more quiet by the second until it was only a whisper.

If Sunblaze only knew how true those last words were.


	45. Chapter 45

A moon had past since Sunblaze's dire encounter with Shadepaw. Yet life had continued on as normal for him, though now he stayed closer to the mouth of the warrior's den. It made him feel more secure while he slept. The tom never realised how difficult it would be to explain to Leafpool where his wounds came from when he was getting them attended to, only being able to respond to her frantic questions with a shrug and a 'I don't know.'

The she-cat didn't say so, but he knew she didn't believe a word he said. But Sunblaze had no intention of telling his mate the truth. It would kill her if she knew he was being hunted like a mouse by a predator who outclassed him in every way imaginable. Though, luckily for him Sparkclaw had also been payed a visit but came out relatively unscathed. Still, he remained furious about the whole situation.

"I swear to God, if he's there I'll fry his dumb ass!" The tabby whispered to Sunblaze as they traveled alongside the rest of the patrol. He was fuming, struggling to keep his voice low.

"He can't hurt us though, it's a gathering. There's like a truce up at that time," responded Sunblaze. Though it would be nerve wracking if the black cat was present. The tom looked up at the moon, half expecting to see it cocooned in shadows.

His shadows.

Anxiety chewed away at Sunblaze's guts. He hoped Shadepaw wasn't there or that if he was he would stay far away from them. The tom decided to change the subject to something more cheerful, "so what do you think your kids are going to be?"

Sparkclaw's expression became less harsh, slowly morphing from anger to a calm state of mind. He pondered for a second, "uh. . .I dunno." he responded, his tone had changed too. The tom sounded a lot more happy, "but cats have multiple kids everytime they're pregnant, right? Cause I think I'm gonna be raising both a boy and a girl," he spoke with a smile.

A two weeks ago Squirrelflight announced that she was expecting Sparkclaw's kits. The whole Clan crowed around them both, purring their congratulations to them. Sunblaze could remember his friend's flabbergasted expression plastered to his face, and the worry that adorned his mate's. Understandably, she had been worried he was going to have a meltdown. They were both still young, after all, and now they were going to have mature a lot faster. If they were both human, this situation would have killed both their social lives. But thankfully, Sparkclaw soon had a goofy look of excitement as he repeatedly spouted "I'm gonna be a dad." Fortunately, their current lifestyle made parenthood less demanding. For the father, anyways.

"I thought you would have been upset about being a dad, by the way," admitted Sunblaze. He took a quick look around, finding that the trees were becoming more and more sparse. They were approaching WindClan territory now.

The tabby tom raised an eyebrow, "what? Why?" he responded.

"Er- well, I mean-" his companion stammered, then sighed before shrugging. "I don't know, you just seemed like the kind of person who doesn't want kids," the cat answered.

"Here's the thing. I never had a dad," Sparkclaw responded with a sigh, "he walked out on us when I was three, so I don't remember a damn thing about him. All I know about him is that he was Native American and was a construction worker. See, I don't want my kids to grow up like I did, you know?" he mewed, "I want to actually _be_ in their minds and not this person who they've never met but are related to,"

Sunblaze nodded thoughtfully, "good on you for that, I think quite a few people would've walked out of their relationship." he said, "also, I never knew you were part Native American,"

The tom shrugged, "neither did I until my big bro told me why he got his chief tatto."

"So how is your last name not something Native American?"

"Flakirk was my mom's surname."

The gold cat flicked his ear and grunted to show he had heard, but he stared ahead. He tried to picture what his and Leafpool's kits would look like in his mind's eye, even if it was only one of them. Sunblaze saw a golden tabby tom-kit with his mother's eyes. Part of him was green with envy as he could never openly have a family with his mate.

After Sparkclaw had explained half of what he had said to a nearby cat who had overheard their conversation in simpler terms, the rest of the trip was silent. The patrol soon came upon the fallen tree which served as a bridge to the island and crossed. The patrol parted shortly afterwards.

Both Sunblaze and Sparkclaw stuck together. "Can you see those two or Crowclaw?" The golden tom inquired, scanning through the sea of cats to find his friends.

"Over there," the brown tabby pointed with his tail. They squeezed past cats until they reached Smokefoot, Coldstorm, and Crowclaw. Once they arrived, the three toms greeted them.

"I need to talk with you two tomorrow at sunset." mewed the smokey grey tom, "we're meeting by the lake near our two Clans' borders," he stated. Both his voice and expression were serious.

Both ThunderClan warriors looked at one another, "sure." they mewed in unison. Sparkclaw turned his attention to Smokefoot, "hey buddy, how're you doing?" he asked, "your eye's looking much better," he added.

"I've been doing okay." the grey tom responded, "I've gotten used to having only one eye now,"

"It's great to hear." added Coldstorm, placing the tip of his tail on his friend's shoulder. "From what I heard, it was awful at first,"

"It was, yes." Smokefoot agreed, "but it doesn't put Nightcould off, thankfully,"

"Who's that? You're mate?" Sunblaze questioned.

"She's my petit chaton," smiled the tom in response.

The RiverClan warrior snorted in response, "is that really her pet name?" Smokefoot frowned in response and Crowclaw began pestering him on what it meant.

"So how's life treating treating you, big guy?" Sparkclaw queried.

Coldstorm's smile faded, "oh. . .it's been-" he sighed, "I suppose it could be better. Hawkfrost passed away." he murmured. The four cats gave their condolences, keeping their opinions of the now deceased RiverClan warrior to themselves. "It turned out he wasn't the cat I thought he was,"

"Shit." muttered Sparkclaw, "uh. . .sorry for asking," he added awkwardly. Part of him wasn't surprised Hawkfrost hadn't truly been the cat he had made himself out to be, he had always seemed like a shady character to the ThunderClan cat.

"It's fine, you couldn't have known." the dull grey cat responded, "I had a dream about him soon after he died, too. It's strange."

Sunblaze and Sparkclaw looked at each other, both holding different expressions. The golden tom's features were outlined with surprise and fear, worst case scenarios coming to life in his mind. The brown tabby's face was dark with cold anger and determination, knowing that it was linked to their own dreams. "Hey, Smokefoot," meowed Sparkclaw.

"Yes?"

"Did you have a dream near the start of the month too?"

Smokefoot frowned, "I did, actually. I saw that bastard and some other cat in mine," he spat.

Sunblaze turned to Crowclaw, "what about you, Crowclaw?" he questioned.

The smokey grey tom tensed slightly, something peculiar flashing in his blue eyes for a brief moment. "Nope." He responded.

"Somethin's up," murmured Sparkclaw, his tail lashing behind him. In his mind, his promise repeated over and over like a broken record.

Coldstorm frowned, concern spreading throughout him like an illness. The American was right, something was insidious afoot. In that moment, he found that their past dreams seemed to share a link. It frightened him deeply. The tom had over simplified his dream to the others.

He had been somewhere dark, somewhere that choked out light. Everything was dead; the trees, the grass, the air. While he couldn't feel the cold due to his drastically low body temperature, he knew it was almost as freezing as the winters in Siberia. Behind him stood Hawkfrost. At first, he had been delighted to see his deceased friend despite what Mothwing had revealed to him. But his delight soon twisted to despair as he was asked a single sentence:

"We've talked about it so much, Coldstorm. How would you like to unite the Clans with _you_ on top?"

Coldstorm told his old friend that wasn't what he wanted. The tom wanted to unite the Clans, yes, but not in the way Hawkfrost then proposed to him. What he wanted was unity in the form of a union of sorts, not a pseudo nation. Coldstorm had been alive to see such a thing fall in Russia, but he didn't want live long enough to see one rise. The world fade away soon thereafter. Hawkfrost had never responded to his answer.

Smokefoot turned his head in the direction of the four leaders, "looks as if the gathering's starting." he meowed. The five cats dropped their conversation, opting to continue it the next day.

Though it would never be finished.

 **...**

The sun was beginning to set, casting a beautiful and warm orange glow over the lake. The water reflected the light, adding to the beauty of the scene. Three cats sat near the border of ThunderClan and WindClan, their shadows stretching far behind them. Though there were only two shadows as the ones belonging to the RiverClan cat and a ThunderClan cat had merged together.

Sparkclaw sighed, watching the tranquil sun set. "Where are those two?" he inquired, "I hate no-shows," he grumbled.

"Here they come," meowed Coldstorm, pointing towards two cats approaching them with his tail. Both were skinny with grey coats of fur, though one was much darker than the other. The one with a lighter coat was taller than his companion and had one marble-like white eye and an amber one. The other had two blue eyes.

"Alright Crowclaw, what's the matter?" Sunblaze inquired.

Crowclaw didn't respond.

"Hey, you hear him?" queried the brown tabby tom.

Crowclaw nodded, but didn't respond. He stood there, shuddering and hanging his head low.

"Are you alright?" asked a concerned Smokefoot.

Finally Crowclaw responded. "Run, you idiots! This is a trap! He's going to kill you all! I'm so sorry! He said he'd hurt Feathertail if I- hrk!" the smokey grey tom was cut short, a shadowy tendril impaling him from his back. Blood pooled from the wound and his mouth. The tom's eyes were wide, yet dull. Fear, despair, and sorrow were still held within them.

The remaining four could only watch in horror as Crowclaw was brought into the air and then flung to the side like a piece of crowfood. His body landed in a crumpled heap. "He was good bait, you know." a voice sounded out, "I don't think there was any other way to get you all in one spot. It makes things easier for me,"

They all instantly recognised the voice, "you son of a bitch." hissed Sparkclaw, his voice dripping with venom as he turned to face Shadepaw. The others turned to face him too, each with their features contorted in one way or another; fear, outrage, disgust.

Shadepaw's phantom tendril returned to his shadow. His green eyes cold and focused on his targets. "You know, I'm going to miss you four when you're gone. You were an interesting bunch."

"Why?!" demanded Coldstorm, "why are you doing this to us?!"

"It's the only way I can get what I'm dying for. What I _need_. Freedom. " explained Shadepaw, his shadow twisting and snaking across the ground, "Freedom to live life how I see fit. All I have to do is kill you four. If only you listened to Tigerstar and Hawkfrost when they came to you. Now-"

"You're fucking dead!" roared Sparkclaw, firing off a bolt of electricity. The straw had broke the camel's back. A fight to the death had begun.


	46. Chapter 46

The bolt of unbridled energy took mere picoseconds to cross the distance from its source to the intended target. If Shadepaw had not been prepared the projectile would have been hit, suffering the full brunt of the severe burns and limitless energy. But he had been, watching as Sparkclaw raised his foreleg to shoot it off. He might not be able to dodge the electricity, but he could predict where it was going to hit.

"Too slow!" Shadepaw snorted, dodging to the side. A black tendril rose from his shadow, barrelling towards the brown tabby.

Sparkclaw ducked as it sliced the air where his head once was. He gritted his teeth as it came around a second time, cleaving through the dirt to his side causing him to stumble. The tendril removed itself from the earth, speeding towards the downed cat. Luckily, it's journey came to a quick halt as ice encased it.

Coldstorm grunted, "do you have any clue just how powerful we are?!" he hissed, sending a wave of icicles towards the black cat. They formed from the moisture in the air and ground, erupting like freezing explosions from nothingness.

Shadows wrapped themselves around the ShadowClan warrior's forelegs, giving him strength to crush the ice like it was brittle twigs. "You aren't very good at showing it." he responded, sending a shadowy knife towards the large grey cat. It slashed open his shoulder, causing him to gasp in pain.

Shadepaw hissed as a smoke bullet collided with his side, causing him to stumble slightly. In a puff of smoke, the remaining WindClan cat materialised before him. His face was twisted in rage, "monster!" he spat, swiping at the black tom.

He dodged, waiting for whatever shadows he sent out to return to him to form his second skin. Shadepaw began putting distance between himself and his opponent, but Smokefoot swiftly closed the distance as smoke. The apprentice reacted quickly, knocking the other cat away.

Shadepaw's entire body was now encased in shadow. In the waking world, it was difficult for the mind to process such a figure. He had no shadows, he just looked like a figure someone had drawn with a pen onto a photo. The tom suddenly gasped in pain, feeling a searing agony in his side. In retaliation, he swiped at whoever just harmed him.

Sunblaze ducked, "I'll peel that damn thing off you!" the tom bristled. His paws were glowing instead of being on fire as they usually were. Only intense heat could break through the shadow-skin.

"You're welcome to try!" Shadepaw retorted, slamming his paw into the ground as the ThunderClan cat moved backwards. A bolt of electricity collided with his shoulder, dissolving the darkness acting as a shell for his flesh. He howled in response, feeling the scorching heat and burns in both his side and shoulder.

"Too slow, fucker." spat the other ThunderClan cat. They began closing in on the wounded cat.

"You think I'm done?" Shadepaw scorned as shadows covered his unprotected areas. "Not even close." He spat, becoming more and more transparent until he seemingly faded from existence.

"Wh-what the fuck? He can do that?" Sunblaze stammered as he took a step backwards. Each of the four cats faced a different direction, keeping a watchful eye out for their enemy.

"He's just bending light around him, watch for-" Coldstorm was cut short as he was batted away by Shadepaw as he once again became visible, like a kit who hit a mossball too hard.

Sparkclaw immediately reacted, releasing a war cry as he swiped at the larger cat. He missed as the ShadowClan cat attempted to crush his head, but he was too quick. The tabby fired off another bolt which missed his target.

Sunblaze primed himself to throw a fireball, intense heat radiating from it. "Hold it, rosbif!" cried Smokefoot, "you could hit Sparkclaw!"

"Forget about me!" The ThunderClan warrior hissed, "roast this bastard!" but before the other cat could throw it, a pillar of ice slammed into the chest of the shadow-encased cat which sent him flying.

All three cats turned to face Coldstorm, who now had a swollen cheek. "He knocked out my tooth." the tom grumbled with a slight lisp. Foxlengths away, Shadepaw struggled to his paws, groaning and coughing. If he hadn't been in his shadow shell that would have most likely killed him. It hurt to breathe. He must have cracked ribs.

The shadows ran off of his body, only leaving his forlegs covered. He gritted his teeth, readying himself as the four approached. "Puh!" he spat out a mixture of blood and saliva, "a-alright. . .seems like I underestimated you."

Unsurprisingly, Sparkclaw charged first. The ShadowClan cat dodged his swipe and retaliated with his own; A shadow wrapped itself around the tabby's torso, picking him up and hurling him at Smokefoot.

He materialised quickly into smoke, allowing the tom to pass through him; he turned back just as quickly and fired off a smoke bullet; it collided with Shadepaw's injured shoulder, causing the already intense agony to flair up; with gritted teeth, the tom's foreleg became jagged like pangolin armour. He swiped at the air, sending off sharp projectiles. Two hit the WindClan cat in the shoulder and foreleg.

"Two down." Shadepaw muttered between ragged breaths. His ribs were killing him. As were his side and shoulder. He didn't need to inspect them to know there was seared flesh, boils, and blisters. The tom turned to face the remaining two cats.

Both Sunblaze and Coldstorm stood, looming over him. "One last chance to leave." spoke the RiverClan cat, "you're in a much worse state than us,"

Another ragged breath escaped the ShadowClan cat's lips, "can't. I have my orders, and I'm a man of my word." he responded. A phantom shadow speeded towards the grey tom, but he didn't move. Instead the shadow became slower and slower until it grinded to a halt, ice crawling over it.

"Nothing can move at absolute zero, not even your shadows." the tom sneered, sending a wave of frost and rime along the ground towards the cat, "so long as it's tangible, anyways. But it cannot hurt us if it's intangible, now can it?"

The frost blanket exploded, severely scratching the then uninjured side of Shadepaw. He cursed in response, feeling the stinging cold of it. In response, he forced the trapped shadow to expand and break through the ice. It impaled itself through Coldstorm's side.

The tom gasped in agony, quickly freezing the blood around the shadow before it went too deep and ended his life. He could feel it beginning to expand in its icy prison, threatening to end him right then and there.

"Enough!" roared Sunblaze, raking his heated claws down Shadepaw's face. The tom let loose a howl as he stumbled back, grimacing in pain. The ThunderClan cat glared at him, smoke rising from underneath his paws, "I'm putting an end to this!"

Shadows began enveloping Shadepaw. "Took the words right out of my mouth." he growled. The two warriors collided and the older of the two quickly began overpowering the younger cat. He hit hard, he hit fast and dodged just a quickly. A disoriented Sunblaze sluggishly slashed at his opponent, only for him to dodge and knock him to the ground.

"Don't you remember what I told you? You're never getting rid of me-"

"-unless I kill you!" finished Sparkclaw, sending a bolt of electricity towards the shadow-encased cat. It hit him head on, dissolving his second skin where it hurt and scorching the flesh underneath. Shadepaw had no time to react before the tabby bowled him over. They rolled around the ground, shrieks of berserk rage coming from Sparkclaw as volts coursed throughout his claws.

Shadepaw began putting up less of a fight, his ragged breath becoming more prevalent. He knew he couldn't fight for much longer, his myriad of wounds were beginning to take their toll. The electricity now in his muscles were not helping him either. The tom had to get this rabid animal on top of him off - urgently.

Sparkclaw gave out a heartfelt cry for revenge, raising both his paws above his head as they became enveloped in pure energy. Coldstorm's blue eyes widened, the digger flashing in his mind. "Sunblaze, Smokefoot! Run!" he yowled, panic flooding his voice. Both cats scrambled away.

The brown tabby brought his paws down, unleashing an explosion of raw power. Still screaming for blood, he brought them down again and again, releasing more and more unadulterated energy. The three cats watched in horrified awe at the scene. Coldstorm began shouting for him to stop, that enough was enough, but it fell of deaf ears. No amount of hollering and squealing could snap him out of his bloodlust.

Once the dust had settled, and the air was no longer cackling with energy, only Sparkclaw remained standing. The silver moon was now high in the sky and the grass and dirt around him had been scorched black if it had not been turned to glass. The three cats approached him wearily, "Sparkclaw? W-wh. . .where is he?" asked Sunblaze in a low voice.

Sparkclaw looked at him, but did not turn his head due to exhaustion. "Don't know..." he muttered.

"Sacre bleu." muttered a wide-eyed Smokefoot, observing the destruction. He had never seen anything like it before.

Coldstorm gulped, "Sparkclaw?"

"...W-what?"

"I-I think he's below you."

The tom looked down, eyes wide in horror. Beneath him was the ghostly silhouette of Shadepaw, burned into the ground he perished on. There was nothing left; no blood, no fur, not even a corpse. He suddenly stumbled back, landing on his hunches. All the tom could do was stare. "T-th. . .that's him?" sputtered Sparkclaw.

"Has to be," responded Smokefoot, staring at the ghastly figure burned into the ground.

"I've only ever seen this in photos of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." grimaced Coldstorm, "but never. . .oh god. He must have been in so much pain,"

Sunblaze mourned, "ohgodohgodohgod. . .we're monsters. W-we vaporised him. He didn't deserve that!" he sobbed. Briskly pacing up and down in a panic.

"He d-deserved it!" responded Sparkclaw, his own voice shaky. "He-he killed us _and_ Crowclaw, dammit!"

Coldstorm frowned, still reeling from the disturbing sight. "Sunblaze is right, his last few moments were agony." Shadepaw had most likely felt the most severe of burns and intense agony in his skin and muscles before his nerves were annihilated. His body fluids and fat would have flash evaporated, leaving him like a popcorn kernel in a microwave. Odds are, the cat was ripped apart at the atomic level from the sheer energy. Possibly the only thing left that could be considered remains were ionised atoms floating around in the air.

"At least we have one body we can bury." muttered Smokefoot, looking over towards the body of their deceased friend. "(Rest in peace, my friend.)" the WindClan cat added lowly.

"W-we can't stay here!" grieved Sunblaze, "we're murders!" he cried, "there's nothing to bury!"

The brown tabby opened his mouth to respond, to demand and shake the other ThunderClan cat until he sucked it up and shut his trap, but the RiverClan cat looked to him solemnly. "He's right. The Clans will ask questions, and how are we to respond? Do we show them what we can do, what we are, and become exiles anyways? Leaving is the only safe option for us." Coldstorm padded towards Sunblaze, draping his tail around him and murmuring words of comfort.

"You think I-I'm just gonna leave?! I've got a pregnant muh-mate for fuck's sake and you want me to run with my tail between my legs!? I'm not a cow-coward like you two!" Sparkclaw spat. He glared at Sunblaze, "what about Leafpool? You just gonna ah-abandon her?!" He demanded.

Sunblaze didn't respond, only looking at him with teary eyes.

Sparkclaw's face fell, "I can't believe you." he scorned. The tom turned to Smokefoot, "wuh-what about you?"

The one-eyed cat sighed, "I'm not having my life destroyed a second time by the same man, even if I feel like it would be a little justified now. I'm staying with WindClan, it's my home. I rebuilt what I lost from the ground up. Besides, we have to bury Crowclaw somewhere nice." the tom turned to look solemnly at his friend's remains, "he didn't deserve this,"

"I'll help." responded the ThunderClan cat.

The four cats sat in an uneasy silence, unsure what to say anymore. They just crossed a line they cannot come back from, and now they were at a crossroad. Each of them felt shame, blame, and remorse for their actions tonight. For the first time since they met, they were truly divided. Now they were strangers to one another, unrecognisable from just minutes ago.

"G-goodbye, guys." Sparkclaw finally spoke, "it was fun while it lasted."

Smokefoot nodded, "I hope you will come back one day, Evan and Ivan."

"Maybe someday." responded Ivan.

"Tell Leafpool I love her so much for me." Evan meowed.

With that, four split into two. Two warriors and two rogues. They set off into the night, heading to bury their deceased comrade and towards the mountains respectively. Not a single word was spoken by either of them as they parted. There was nothing left to be said. After all, there was no reason to interact with strangers beyond small talk.

Shadepaw and Crowclaw were not the only ones to pass on.

Four hearts had died too, buried in the WindClan marshes in unmarked graves.

* * *

 **After over a year of writing this between juggling everything else in my life, I've finally finished Metahuman: Stranger Days. It was an absolute blast to write all the way through, from chapter 1 to 46 and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing this story.**

 **I want to say thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited, and followed; especially Blurg the Destroyer, who has been my beta for god knows how long. If it weren't for him I don't think I would've gotten as far as I did.**

 **All that's left to do now is an epilogue, but frankly that's something extra for you guys.**

 **But until next time.**

 **\- Cynical-Britton**


	47. Epilogue

_"I've been lost by the city,_

 _drowned by the sea,_

 _I've been up on the rooftops,_

 _still I'm caving in."_

The evening was calm, or as calm as it could get in WindClan with the cold rain beating and battering off of anything and everything unfortunate to be caught outside. Most of the camp fell under that category with the nests being out in the open air. Warriors and apprentices alike grumbled to themselves, scowling as they shivered.

Smokefoot had been fortunate enough to have been in the nursery before the downpour began. The tom had been checking on Nightcould, his loving mate and now the mother of his unborn child. Maybe for some it was too early in their relationship to be starting a family, which he agreed with some times. Truthfully, he thought that what happened five moons ago set it off. It changed him.

"Are you alright?" inquired Nightcould with concern, looking up at him from his nest. "You've been quiet,"

Smokefoot snapped out of his day dream, "(what?) Oh, yes. I'm fine." he responded. His remaining eye continued to watch the rain. Often he found himself wondering how Evan and Ivan were. Had they chosen to stay with the Tribe Of Rushing Water? Or had they gone elsewhere? Where had they gone? Were they even still alive?

Musings of Shadepaw often crept up on him, too, as much as he hated it. The tom knew he never murdered the ShadowClan cat, nor did he have any intention to. Sparkclaw was the one who murdered him. Yet the guilt washed over him like a tidal wave which threatened to swallow him whole. He had watched as the ThunderClan rip him to pieces on an atomic level, leaving only that ghastly shadow behind. It still remained despite the grass and ground around it healing. Perhaps it was God's way of reminding him that he should have done something. That his sins had marked this place. "I was just thinking, my petite chaton. That's all,"

The she-cat frowned, "you've been thinking a lot since that strange storm a few moons ago. Is it because Crowclaw is missing?"

The grey tom hung his head low. It was only thanks to his abilities had arrived back at WindClan night after the incident occurred. Crowclaw had been buried on a hill overlooking the territory, a nice place. Smokefoot had to pretend he had never left camp that night and had to throughly clean his wounds so they were hardly noticeable. It had worked, being smoke helped with that. Sparkclaw had told him that, he too, and fooled everyone. Now he was going to lie to his mate's face and feign ignorance to the truth. "Yes. I'm worried about him," it made his heart wrench to lie. He could only hope Crowclaw forgave him.

"C'mere a second." the tom did as he was instructed and levelled himself with his mate. Nightcould rewarded him with a lick on the cheek and a nuzzle under his chin, "I know you two were best friends, but I think it's safe to say you should move on now. It's been moons,"

Smokefoot nodded, "I know, I know." more lies. More filthy lies, he thought to himself. You don't deserve her. Nightwing suddenly gasped and her mate became alert, "are you okay?" he queried, a frantic tone creeping into his words.

Nightcould grinned, "the kit just kicked!"

While he had been an awful friend, allowing them all to take a dark path. Maybe Smokefoot could make up for it by being a good father.

 _"You can scream bloody murder,_

 _as loud as you want,_

 _I'm not listening now."_

Sparkclaw watched the rain fall from the nursery, occasionally looking up at the colossal grey clouds which they fell from. He could hear the droplets bouncing off the leaf roof above him, creating a soft melody of pitter-patters. A droplet of water seeped through the roof, landing on his nose and giving him an electric shock.

The tom hissed in surprise, "aw son of a..." he drifted off as he became aware of a set of eyes watching him. Looking down, he saw a small black she-kit staring out at him, her green eyes gleamed with curiosity. It was his daughter, Hollykit. "...b-biscuit." he mumbled.

The tabby censored himself around them for good reasons. ThunderClan didn't need the three of them running around swearing like sailors and having no clue what they were actually saying, only repeating it because their dad said it.

Hollykit giggled, "biscuit." she squeaked. Her attention was quickly captured by the playful squeals of her brothers, Lionkit and Jaykit, and she clumsily bounced away to join them. His blue eyes watched as they played, a slight smile forming on his face.

Sparkclaw could see Squirrelflight watching them too, a proud smile on her face. He approached her and sat beside her, giving her a lick on the cheek. "Full of energy, aren't they?" purred Ferncloud from across the nursery.

"Sure are." grinned their mother, "they get it from their dad,"

Energy. While neither of the she-cats knew it, they had just reminded him he had none left. The night he got revenge came with a heavy price, aside from the nightmares and the occasional - though rare - panic attack and stutter that crept into his voice. His powers were now pathetically weak, like when he had fallen into that river in the mountains on the journey. He was like a phone without its charger.

"How long til they fight everybody then?" chuckled Sparkclaw.

The two queens laughed in response, "they better not!" responded Squirrelflight.

Ferncloud changed the subject, "Cloudtail said you had another nightmare." she meowed with a frown and a tone of concern, "I think you should go see Leafpool, they're happening often,"

The tom frowned. It was a recurring nightmare he had. It always took him back to when he murdered Shadepaw. After he had him pinned and had hit him the first time, the tom got a full view of his grizzly artwork. The cat's skin was charred black, now without his pelt. Places such as the ears were only melted, bubbling flesh and grease. The worst part was his eyes, which were now blind and shrivelled up like dates from the unrelenting heat.

Then he hit him again and again and it kept getting worse until all that was left was a skeleton more ash than bone. The tom would always freeze at that point, only for the remains to spring up and grip him. Shadows would spill from its jaw while it screamed at him. "Why!? Why did you kill me!? I just wanted to be happy! You monster!" it would rant, then just spew darkness all over him. "You're just like me!"

Was he just like him? No, he wasn't. At least that's what he told himself. "No, I'm fine." Sparkclaw responded, brushing off the concern. The mention of Leafpool instantly made him think of Evan and, by extent, Ivan.

Where were those two now?

 _"The older I got, the more I found I'm lost,_

 _now I'm run through with rut,_

 _covered in frost."_

If there was one thing Ivan enjoyed about being a house cat, it was feeling cosy. He sat on the sofa, looking from his position to the window and watching the droplets of rain fall against it. The tom hadn't felt warm ever as a Clan cat. While his drastically low body temperature left him unaffected by the cold, it didn't mean he had the privilege of warm all the time unlike Evan. Though he hated how stuffy his collar felt at times, despite its luxurious appearance; black leather with a silver pendant where his name was engraved.

The house cat hadn't seen the younger tom in such a long time. It was almost as if he disappeared. But, whenever Ivan decided he was going out for a stroll around Chelford. He would hear whispers about a golden cat and the things he had done. Not all of them good things. Shadepaw's death had really affected him.

"What are you thinking about, Iggy?" he heard Princess inquire, approaching him.

Ivan, or Iggy as his owners had dubbed him, turned to her. He was greeted by a look of curiousity in her warm amber eyes. They made him feel safe, they brought him back to reality when he got too wrapped up in his thoughts of five months ago or when that shadow in the corner of his eye looked all too familiar. "Just about an old friend," the tom responded.

"Evan?" guessed his mate.

The tom nodded, "when we arrived, he just disappeared. I haven't seen him since we. . .left," he meowed. Princess wasn't aware of what happened, only that it was bad. Iggy knew she wouldn't even look at him if she knew. He couldn't bare to be alone, so he never said.

The tabby she-cat gave him a reassuring lick on the cheek, "I'm sure you'll find him if you go looking," she nuzzled him underneath his chin.

Iggy sighed, looking out to the window. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. You haven't heard what I have." he responded. He looked back towards Princess, "I'm not sure if looking for him is a good idea,"

Shadepaw's death broke Evan, it was easy to see that since it happened. When they were travelling he hardly spoke a word. It was like he was mauling everything over and over again. But when he did speak, he was always sounding irritated. The tom hardly slept too. Evan became a different cat that night.

Iggy could have done something, he knows he could have. But he failed twice. The first time was allowing Sparkclaw to kill Shadepaw, destroying the bond they all shared and splitting them apart. The second time was not consoling Evan. He was too young to be a part of their crime, dammit! He was still a child! Evan had been forced to grow up too soon and he could only blame himself.

"That's nonsense." replied Princess, leaning against her mate and resting her head on his shoulder. "He's your friend, isn't he?"

A part of him wanted to respond not since that night, they were only strangers who travelled together to the same destination. Iggy muttered, "I'm not sure anymore, Princess."

 _"I've wandered so long,_

 _and now that I'm here,_

 _I just wanna go home."_

The rain would have been freezing for anyone else, drenching both fur and skin. They would grumble, shuffling on their quest to find shelter. But it was nothing more than an irritant for Evan. No matter how many times the droplets hit his body, then turned to steam, they still kept coming. It just obscured his vision with all the steam.

Evan continued down the alley, his stomach rumbling. When was the last time he ate? Two days ago? He climbed up an open dumpster, driving into it. The rank smell didn't bother him, it wasn't anything that he hadn't had the displeasure of smelling before. The tom resurfaced, a drum stick of fried chicken in his maw.

Though, it would have been nice to catch a mouse again. He missed hunting. He missed ThunderClan. He missed his friends. He missed his mate. He missed tom could feel a pressure building up inside him, but he pushed it down. That was then, this is now. Only think about now unless you're looking to be depressed, he thought to himself. Not that he deserved any of it anyways.

Evan jumped down from the dumpster and began eating his meal. Halfway through his meal, he heard a feminine voice call out to him, "Evan?"

The tom turned, finding a soaking wet, calico she-cat at the entrance to the alley. "What is it, Harper?" he spoke. His voice sounded hollow and much more gruff than it had been five moons ago.

"You remember Scout, don't you?" Harper asked.

"Of course I do. I'd be dead if it wasn't for her," the tom responded, mentioning to the scar across his chest. He had a run-in with BloodClan and its new leader two or three moons ago. He was caught off guard then left to bleed out. Thankfully, Scout had found him and nursed him back to good health.

The she-cat continued, "she's being harassed by BloodClan. I think they know she's tied to you,"

Evan sighed, turning and taking a large bite of the chicken, chewed, then swallowed. He got to his paws and approached Harper, "let's go, then," he muttered.

The two cats walked down the street in silence, the other brooding and the other concerned. "How come you're not shy about your powers anymore?" the she-cat asked, watching steam rise from the tom's body. When Harper first met him, he was still just as brooding but he wasn't so open about what he could do.

"Don't care if anyone knows anymore," Evan responded. If cats thought he was some monster because he could light himself on fire then he wouldn't correct them. He was a murderer who vaporised someone. What right did he have to correct them?

"Oh, alright." murmured the calico she-cat. She suddenly began leering at the tom, her green eyes scanning his features. The dark discs under his blue eyes caught her attention. "When's the last time you had a full night's rest, Evan?" she inquired.

The gold tom thought for a moment, "last week, I think,"

"Nightmares?"

"Nightmares." He was experiencing the same recurring nightmare. He was always taken back to that night, watching Sparkclaw annihilate him. He got a full view of Shadepaw between each and every hit. The corpse was always staring at him, reminding him that he was a perpetrator too. Evan was no more a monster than he was.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Evan, you need help!" exclaimed Harper, "you hardly eat or sleep! Whatever is bothering you I can help you with, please!" she pleaded, her eyes wide.

Evan glared at her, "I don't need help." he responded, continuing to walk down the street, "what I need is for you to not bother me, I don't need help." he repeated. Though it wasn't aimed at her.

 _"I think that it's time,_

 _I think that it's time,_

 _I went home."_

* * *

 **Alright now we're officially done. And now that we're done I can give my thoughts for the entire fanfiction.**

 **I'm extremely proud of this story for several reasons; one, it's the first story I've ever completed that wasn't a oneshot or twoshot. Two, the characters have developed well over the course of the story and the antagonist was a good one (purely subjective, you might not agree and that's not a problem). And three, people enjoyed this. I've had so many positive comments and reviews on something I have thought as niche. It blows me away to think people enjoyed it as much as they did.**

 **And before I go, the passages in between are from the song Broadfields by Young Guns. I chose it because it's somber and, to me, reflects the epilogue really well.**

 **Again, I want to thank everyone whose read this, my beta Blurg The Destroyer, along with two of my friends, Ninjamonkey3904 and riskybannana. They're all lovely people.**

 **Thanks to everyone for the support.**

 **\- Cynical-Britton**


	48. The Sequel

**The sequel to Metahuman: Stranger Days is now out, Metahuman: Neon Sounds, now up.**

 **After the death of Shadepaw, a grand plan is reborn and the gravest of threats looms large. Two directionless cats are the pitiful and only defence against them. Outnumbered and outclassed, all they have in their favour is diligence and their weak bond.**

 **If you enjoyed Stranger Days, I can assure you that you'll love this second instalment.**


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